CHINCHERO

It is a district in the Urubamba province, 30 Kms. (19 miles) away through the paved road,
northwest from Qosqo. Its altitude is 3780 Mts. (12,400 feet) over a plateau that is cold during
the rainy morning and at night time.it was one of the most important inkan town in the region,
where even today is possible to see vestiges of its great past. The meaning of its original name
is lost; although, today tradition knows it as the “land of the rainbow” because over here the
kuychi (rainbow) is frequently seen in the rainy season. As it is known the rainbow was special
deity among inkas; it had a special temple inside Qosqo’s qoricancha and still today in many
regions of the Andes people respect, fear or even revere it. Alfonsina Barrionuevo says “… it is
not possible to watch the rainbow, they say superstitiously, without covering the mouth because
it rots the teeth. Neither is possible to point with the finger because in undermines the bones,
maiden run away from it because if it catches them in the countryside, it has children with
them.”

Lamentably, as in most of the towns or temples near to Qosqo, chinchero was wrecked and
modified by the “idolatry extirpators”. Its destruction began when Manco Inca after his
campaign in Qosqo decided to discharge his soldiers so that they could go back to their
farmlands and take care to their families; he went towards ollantaytambo passing through
chinchero and burning it so that the invaders who were persecuting him could not have either
food or lodging. Subsequently in 1572, viceroy Toledo founded the doctrine of our lady of
Monserrat of chinchero and ordered construction of the present day catholic church that was
finished by the first years of the XVII century, possibly in 1607, that is the year found in the
writing over the main arch inside the church. The whole church was built using as foundations
the finely carved limestones that belonged to a great inkan palaces. The entrance of the fine
inkan building were filled up as high as the roofs with earth brought from some other sectors. It
was in the 1960s when the inkan palace was discovered under the Catholic Church. The inkan
palace must have been very important because on its façade facing to the southern plain present
openings of triple jamb by that themselves indicates its category. Further south from the plain
there are two wakas (shrines) carved on outcrop limestone formations; today they are known
as chinkana and titiqaqa. Towards the west there is another shrine named as pumaqaqa where
it is possible to observe on the insitu rock sculptures of two pumas which heads were mutilated.
Farther west from the mentioned plain there are, even more, a large amount of farming terraces
that are not cultivate in spite having lost their aqueducts.

On the southeastern side of the church is another great plaza that today is the town’s main
plaza. On its western side there is a wall containing big trapezoidal niches that can easily let a
person stand up inside; they must have been use to keep the nobility mummies and the idols
that presided over ancestral ceremonies. That wall with niches has a genuine carved andesite’s
cornice.by the middle of this plaza is a bust honoring Mateo Garcia pumacahua chiwantito who
was born in the house located in front of the bust; the house has small arch windows on the
second floor. Mateo pumacahua was chinchero Quechua’s chief, official and warrant officer paid
by the Spanish army; he fought against Tupac amaru second revolution helping to bring about
his defeat in 1781. When being old aged he wanted to repay what he did against his people and
race and joined the Angulo brothers in order to fight against the Spanish crown. But he was
defeated and hung from an arch. Like the ones that are seen in chinchero, in sicuani in 1814.

After Tupac amaru defeat, pumacahua made paint his victory in frescos over the church’s gate;
by the middle is the Monserrat virgin, to her right is the victory celebration that coincides with
the thanksgiving procession and the presence of Saint Paul, and saint peter holding in this hand
the heaven’s keys. Towards the left side of the virgin is the battle representing chaos and Tupac
amaru’s faction .more over there are images resprenting pumakahua symbolized in form of
fighting victorious pumas; in other images representing Tupac amaru symbolized by the amaru
(serpent – dragon ) and chaos and squalor representation . inside the church there is a canvas
representing the same dark skinned Monserrat virgin, where it is possible to see angels sawing
the mountain; that artwork was painted by quechua cusquenian school artist Francisco
chiwantito and dated in 1693 Juan Carlos etenssoro wrote about the canvas: this virgin although,
Spanish typically, related with some others of the purely Andean imagery such as the virgin of
galleries, in which virgin and mountain are confused.

In chinchero, every Sunday morning there is a nice native market, which is one of the typical and
commendable ones in the region. Over here it is still possible to observe bartering of goods, and
almost always people exchanges tropical goods such as fruits, coca leaves or salt for some other
regional goods such as potatoes, broad beans, ollucos, etc. Also over here, there is market for
tourist with diverse handicrafts with very well made weavings standing out. Unlike some other
markets where merchants are foreigners, over here merchants are native regional people
MARAS, MORAY, SALT WORKS AND PICHINGOTO

A non-traditional circuit that in the last years is gaining importance is visiting the maras town,
moray the salt works and pichingoto; they are visited all together or separately.

Maras is a district of Urubamba province, possible to reached through a paved road from
kilometer 50 on the road Qosqo- chinchero Urubamba it is located towards the west of Qosqo
at an altitude of 3300 mts. (10824 feet); over a plain that in prehistoric times was a huge plateau
from which it is possible to observe the range mountain of Urubamba including the snowcapped
mountains of weqey willka today la veronica 5682 mts., 18641 feet. Chikon 5530 mts.18143
feet. It seems that in maras there was a pre inka settlement with subsequent discontinued
occupation. All over this zone there is a large amount of pottery pieces of chanapata culture ,
as well as obsidian scrapers and knives the town was founded in colonial times by pedro Ortiz
de orue , and its Important occupation began when the cusquenian inkan noblemen were
dispossessed of their palaces in Qosqo and had to move settling some other small towns such
as san Sebastian and maras likewise, during the war stared by manco inka willing to recover his
quechua nation , it served as stronghold for invadres that raided against the ollantaytambo town
that was occupied by the inka during two years many of its houses are emblazoned with Spanish
nobility coats of arms on their lintels which indicates the importance gained by the town in
colonial times. By that time, it was an obliged way for muleteers and their mule droves
transporting tropical goods and specially coca leaves from the higher jungle for supplying the
markets of city and the country. it was declared villa of saint francis assisi of maras villa –city
or town that had certain privileges … but that time it had much more importance than the
Urubamba settlement; but today it is a town that languishes due to its isolation and
development of modern life. It has a church made with sun dried mud bricks, typical of the
village religious arquitecture, in which front patio is a cross carved in granite. Inside the church
are cusquenian school canvases representing the apostles, and some very nice ones, the artist
being quechua painter Antonio sinchi roca inka. He was native from maras and painted carefully
for its church; he was contemporary of bishop mollinedo y Angulo and became famous by the
middle of XVII century.

About 7 kms. (4.3 miles) away southwest from maras is moray, a very unique archeological site
in the region. It is possible to reach it by car through the dusty road and the path departing from
the town. Those are enormous natural depressions or hollows in the ground surface that inkas
used for constructing irrigated farming terraces around then. What is surprising is that the
difference of average annual temperature between the top and the bottom reaches even about
15°c (59°F) in the main depression that is about 30 mts (100 feet) deep. In those natural
formations, nature has created an environment, conditions or microclimates that in modern
times people create in greenhouses or hothouses. Moray , because of its climate conditions and
many other characteristics, was an important center of domestication ,acclimatization and
hybridization of wild vegetables species that were modified or adapted for human
consumption. Therefore, it is a prototype of a greenhouse or experimental biological station,
very advance for its age that helped so that the ancient American man could leave for mankind
about 60% of the vegetable goods that are consume three thousand different potatoes varieties,
one and a half hundreds of maize, and many other rich goods. Nevertheless, there are still many
enigmas about the site, enigmas that rise because of the lack of serious scientific researchers
that could clear present doubts. Structures found over here are typically inkan; although, some
authors suggest that they are earlier ones, at the least in the lower terraces. One of the enigmas
is the way how drainage for water flowing through the aqueducts worked; it is suggested that
there are must be underground channels built by the depression’s bottom allowing water to
drain. It is also argued that the bottom is over a very porous natural rock formation that enable
water filtering towards the earth’s interior; the truth is that even today, in the depression’s
bottom there are no floods neither inundation in the rainy season. It is indispensable to carry
out serious palynology studies; that is, diverse analysis of the pollen samples that are found in
moray, thus it will be possible to know the nature, species, quality and some other
characteristics of the vegetable cultivated over here.

Towards the northwest of the maras villages are the famous salt works which are possible to
reach walking by the trail or by car through a dusty road that is almost useless in the rainy
season. The maras salt works to which some people call salt mines are constituted by about
4000 small pools with an average area of 5 m2 (53.8 feet) constructed in a slope of the
Qaqawiñay Mountain. People fill up or irrigate the polls during the dry season every three days,
with salty water emanating from a natural spring located on the top of the complex, so that
when water evaporates the salt contained in it will slowly solidify. That process will be carried
out approximately during one month until a considerable volume of solid salt is obtained; about
10 cms. (4 inches) high from the floor that solid salt is beaten thus granulated then packed in
plastic sacks and sent to the region’s markets; today that salt began being treated with iodine,
thus, its consumption is not harmful.

Going on, from the salt works though the trail towards the northwest and following the small
valley one gest to pichingoto that is located already and the sacred Inca’s valley.it is also possible
to reach pichingoto walking from the rumichaca bus stop. About 7 kms. (4.35 miles) away from
Urubamba on the road toward ollantaytambo. Pichingoto is a quechua community dwelling in
the base of the basalt qoriqaqa mountain; the houses have facades that are made with sun-
dried mud-bricks, but, the entrails are carved in the mountain, they are small caverns or caves
inhabited even today by the beginning of the XXI century; although, their occupants are already
educated or have some instruction level, they have a small catholic chapel and even electricity
inside their houses. Some authors suggest that the name comes from pichinco= bird, and
qoto=goiter , it is argued that goiter ( and enlargement of the thyroid gland visible as a swelling
of the front of the neck; supposed to be a consequence of lack or scarcity of iodine) was very
common among its inhabitants who consumed non treated salt from salt works ,but, all that is
not probable because today the local population that consumes that same salt do, not show any
goiter, possibly its name comes from pichinco= bird, and toqo=hollow. Its inhabitants believe
themselves to be descendants of bird and apparently until the first decades of the present
century the lived in caves or on the other side of the mountains and on an upper level where
they climbed with the help of ropes and ladders. The origins of these community are lost in the
past’s darkness and it is believed that some time ago they lived in maras.
OLLANTAYTAMBO

The whole complex is another national arqueological park, it is located in the ollantaytambo
district, province of Urubamba. The town is about 76 kms. (47.2 miles) by railway, at an altitude
of 2700 mts.8856 feet, it is a very vast complex, which central part is in the town and its
surroundings; travelling from Qosqo, from pachar there is a large amount of farming terraces
that are already part of the complex, those terraces are deteriorated and most of them
abandoned; it is sad to observe that the enormous work for policies. The water that irrigated
does not flow any more their stone aqueducts that were a master work of engineering were
extended by many kilometers; but, today they do not exist aby more in most of the cases, the
reason for that is simply that today no one is preoccupied with keeping them and we had three
centuries in which conquerors were not interested in agriculture but only in mining gold and
silver.

Further down are the strongholds of choqana on the left bank of Urubamba river, and inkapintay
on the right ban; they were part of the complex protective system for the inkan urban core. And
advancing downstream are the foundation of an inkan bridge, its central base is impressive and
was made with huge stone blocks, before that central base there are two enormous boulders
placed for protecting it efficaciously as a mole breaking waters of that river into two, likewise,
on both river banks are the two solid lateral bases of ichu the local wild bunch grass or maguey
(agave Americana). Because those material do not last forever the bridge must have been
renewed annually, going on by the road, about ½ kms. Away from the bridge is the great ancient
main gate of ollantaytambo inkan city; it was part of the surrounding wall and is named today
as llaqta punku (town gate).

Ollantaytambo is a compound quechua word that is derived from ollantay that is a personal
name and tambo that is Spanish form of tanpu,that refers about a city that offered lodgings,
food and comfort for the travelers, ollanta the name of an inkan captain whose history was kept
as an oral tradition and written as drama by Antonio valdez, a priest from urbamba, by the
middle of the XVIII century; it was adapted for a theatrical play and opened in 1780.it is
apparently since then when ollantaytambo began being use to name the town where events of
the drama where carried out. The ollantay drama is considered as a classical work of quechua,
literature an tells the story of a captain named ollanta, extraneous to the cusquenian nobility
and who formed part of inka pachacuteq army, he was distinguished among the others because
of his bravery and skills, but had a secret love affair with the monarch’s daughter named
kusiqoyllor. When trying to marry her officially his request was considered illegal because the
rules in force forbade marriage between persons of different social status. Disappointed the
young captain went deeply into ollantaytambo and incited its decade. he was finally captured
thanks to a trick of captain rumiñahui who appeared as having been vexed and thrown out from
qosqo and succeeded convincing ollanta in order to get asylum; but, during the night when
everyone slept he opened the city gates allowing the Qosqo army’s entrance and the captures
of ollanta who was taken to the capital. Fortunately for him ,when he arrived in Qosqo the inka
pachacuteq was already dead, his son being the new sovereign who was told about the new
story, and with wise clemency allowed the marriage of the two lovers from whose old
relationship a girl had been born and whose name was ima sumaq. It is a story with a happy
ending that nowadays is very popular in Peruvian schools that in many cases stimulate its
performance.

Ollantaytambo was a very important fortified city, built as a tanpu, and order to enable control
of the roads towards the antisuyo (jungle).according to many historians also in order to allow
protection of the great inkan capital from attacks of the antis their worst enemies. Today, its
name as fortress is common, wich in practice is improper because it did not have just a warlike
or protective duty; but, that of a complex city with an ample urban sector and religious temples,
as a fortified city, it had some protective elements, among them a protective wall with few
entrances surroundings the town, many pucaras, or strongholds and watch towers strategically
located. Besides, for the noble population dwelling in this city there was a very ample and well
planned urban sector, a plaza surrounded by important buildings and toward the town’s south
and impressive kallanka that is a building which dimensions are colossal and completely roofed.
It served as a lodge and perhaps also as barracks for the numerous army of the region.

The present day town is located in the same site where the urban sector was in inkan times.it is
really interesting because it is the only spot in peru where it is possible to find people living in
the same buildings that served at homes for the nobility of the inkan society. Some of its narrow
streets still keep their waters channels where very clean waters flowed for the population use.
They are by the middle or at one side. The streets still maintain their inkan names. The town was
divided in rectangular blocks with a very well planned geometrical layout giving the expression
of being a town designed by modern architects. Every block was compound of two kanchas
(apartments), the street gates had double jamb doorways which indicate that those were real
palaces with rooms around the central patio. At least the lower part of the buildings is original
and made with pirka type walls that were covered with a clay coat and possibly also had mural
paintings. Today their thatched roofs were replaced by red tiles and it is possible to breath a
certain air of modernity as the town has electricity and tap water; but in short, the town has still
an inkan taste. Some decades ago in ollantaytambo. A worldwide meeting of the indian
representatives was carried out and they declared this town as the world capital of indinaity
that that time there were some efforts willing to help for an effective conservation of original
structures; in practice it is so little what was and is done for that purpose, and it is so sad to
prove that many of its innate elements are being lost slowly.

Towards the town east is the pinkuylluna hill (pinkuyllo= wind musical instrument similar to a
quena or Andean flute)where an imposing huge building stands out and about which there is a
lot of myth, some very imaginative scholars argue that it’s been school a hospital some others,
jail others, and even a hurling precipice, according to archaeology and the inkan architectonic
characterization it was qolqa or pirwa that is a granary or storehouse for food, clothing and
weapons for local army. It has many doorways and openings that allowed ventilation, and surely
they were built there to enable protection of the stored goods. Likewise, some other smaller
buildings are located in outstanding spots or angles of the mountain that served as watchtowers
for controlling movement of persons in the valley. Toward the western end of the town and
crossing the patakancha (upper enclosure) stream is the great plaza known as mañay raqay
(please plaza) which seem to keep its original name, surrounded by sun-dried mud-brick,
buildings that there were very important in their epoch. toward the west of this plaza is the
entrance to the religious sector; in the lower part there are terraces and had an aqueduct that
served for two purposes: they were farming terraces and had an aqueduct by their southern
end; likewise they served in order to stop erosion of the upper side protecting the most
important temples .going up through the stairway between the terraces is the 10 window
temple, is named that because of the 10 trapezoidal niches existing in its ball wall; its front wall
was destroyed and today the real duty of that enclosure is unknown. Somewhat higher is the
spot of the most important temple: the sun temple that was constructed with huge red porphyry
(pink granite) boulders. The stone quarry is named qachiqata (salt slope) and it’s located about
4 kms. (2.5 miles) away on the other side of the valley, by the upper side of the opposite
southwestern mountains. The boulders were carved partially in the quarries, and taken down to
the valley’s bottom. In order to cross the river, quechuas constructed an artificial channel
parallel to the natural river bed that served for deviating the river’s water according to
conveniences. therefore, while that water flowed though one channel the other was dry, thus
stones would be taken to the other side of the valley, moreover, the boulders were transported
to the upper spot where the temple is erected using the inclined plane that is something like a
road which silhouette is clearly seen from the valley’s bottom. The had the help of log rollers
or rolling stone as wheels, south American cameloids’ leather ropes, levers, pulleys, and the
power of hundreds or even thousands of men. Today, on the way from the quarry to the temple
there are dozens of enormous stones that people know as tired stones because it is believed
that they could never be transported to their destination -, those stones are the reason that
some authors claim that the sun temple was unfinished when the Spanish invasion happened.

What is left of the sun temple are some peripheral walls and the classical major wall that
according to most historians is part of the high altar. It consist of six enormous stone blocks
which average weight is about 90 tons and have a vertical joints some other smaller Stones
making a wall that is unusual in the inkan architecture.it seems that is a projection of the
Tiahuanaco architecture or possibly the architects were brought from the region of the Titicaca
lake; but the final work is entirely inkan with joints and outer surfaces complete and finely
polished and glazed so that they could even served as mirrors. On the external surface of the
fourth boulder (beginning in the southern end), there are three carved stepped symbols that
were undoubtedly inherited from the Tiahuanaco, they represent the three stages of the
Andean world: the hanaq pacha, (heaven), the kay pacha (earth surface), and the ukhu pacha
(underground), even more, there are some other carved bulges that were broken and which
according to divers scholars represented gods of the Andean mythology. It is evident the
presence of the idolatry extirpators , who destroyed the sun temple ; nowadays, the stones that
were part of this fabulous temple are all over the place, over the terraces, by the plaza
surroundings, in the church and curate house, and wherever a person looks with care, moreover,
because of the quality and some characteristics of the work we dare to suggest that is what
completely finished by the arrival of Spanish invaders and that the mentioned tired stones were
unnecessary or were supposed to be used for some other similar buildings. Around the same
sector there are many other constructions of minor quality (pirka type), and with mud brick walls
that were perhaps adoratories for minor deities; about which there is not any chronicles or
reference. The streets in this area are very narrow, this fact made many authors believe that it
was just a pukara (fort).however, history demonstrated that when quechuas and Hispanics were
faced with defeats or disadvantage for invaders they automatically named that site as
ollantaytambo, where the army of manco inka (manco II) defeat completely the invaders troops
in 1537. That victory for inkas happened when manko was going toward willkapampa
(vilcabamba) after 8 months of bloody war in qosqo. Behind the religious sector is the
surrounding wall that protected this zone and the whole ollantaytambo fortified city.

Toward the north of the religious sector entrance gate is a series of water fountains that because
of their location must have performed duties of ceremonial fountains that is, use in order to
worship the water god. There is a ones side mud brick square building where water still flows-,
toward the east of it there is another baptized by tradition as the baño de la ñusta (princess’s
bath) that shows stepped moldings in its surfaces below the spillway. Further north there are
also many fountains constituting a vast temple dedicated to the cult of unu or yaku (water)
nearby is the sector that today has the hybrid name of inka misana (spot where the inka says
mass) that shows an aqueduct carved in the mountain rock face and a liturgical fountain, small
stairways, double jamb niches or false openings capriciously sculpted in the mountain surface.
On the upper area there is a carved conical bulge that was surely another intihuatana (sun
fastener), moreover, there are diverse moldings which were part of a complex solar observatory
used to measure the sun variations during the year as well as for fixing solstices and equinoxes.

Following the patacancha rivulet upstream are a large amount of inkan farming terraces that are
always in use, many of them still maintain their aqueducts, advancing by the trail on the right
bank of the rivulet (on the left side going up through the valley) and after about two hours of
hiking one gets pumamarka (puma’s town) that was surely an important village in inkan times;
it is over 3,600 mts. Of altitude (11810 feet).
PISAQ

Today pisaq constitutes one of the most important archaeological parks in the region, it is
located about 30 kms,(18.6 miles) toward the northwest of Qosqo city , possibly its name comes
from a type of partridge very common in the area known as pisaqa some scholars suggest that
the prehispanic city had the shape of pisaqa(ornate tinamou nothoprocta ornata), a tinamidae
that represented the local fauna. Today, there is also a colonial town named pisaq in the lower
part of the valley, established as consequence of the famous Indian reductions by which the
quechuas were joined in small towns. The inkan city is on the upper side of the mountain, over
the well preserved terracing. It was a classical among the inkas that the most fertile zones must
have been reserved for agriculture without being waste for building towns or cities.

Therefore, the city was built taking advantage of the dry and rocky mountain; even more its
location enabled its protection because this was fortified city on the way to antisuyo (Amazonian
jungle). Historian suggest that it was established over there in order to protect the great capital
from possible attacks of the antis nation (the name of the andes mountains derives from anti).
That were their worst an never submitted to enemy. Today it is still possible to observe the
surrounding wall that protected the most important zone of the city. Moreover, inside the
protected area are the vast farming terraces that supplied enough food for its inhabitants in
case of sieges prolonged wars, and there are also aqueducts that supplied water for agriculture
development. It seems that the water for consumption of the inhabitants was harnessed on the
mountain’s upper side and transported through underground channels.

There are two possibilities in order to get the archaeological site from the colonial town ; hike
taken the street on the western side of the present day church and go up through the terracing
and the mountain, it is hard hike because of the mountain’s altitude and inclination that requires
one to be in good physical condition. Otherwise, take a car that must follow 8 kms,(5miles) road
toward northwest of the town as far as parking lot from which it will be necessary to follow
the 1.5 km (1 mile) path in order to get intihuatana sector, nowadays, the second possibility is
the easiest and the most popular; the most interesting variant is to get by car to the
qanchisraqay sector in order to start the hike, for which it is commendable not to suffer from
vertigo as the mountain in somewhat steep.

Almost all the original names of the different sectors in pisaq are lost; the names that are known
today were established by tradition, historians and archaeologists, therefore, in many cases the
names do not represent their real nature or duty. The reason for this is that there is no precise
information, or old documents serving as authentic testimony for interpretation, but, the pisaq
name in genuine because it is consigned in some chronicles. Today, archaeology and history are
trying to decode the site’s mysteries through archaeological diggings, logical deduction and
comparative studies stating analogies with some other known elements. As there is an inkan
architectonic type classification, today, it is possible to establish the roles of almost all the
buildings, but there are many other aspects that will remain as an eternal enigma.

Qanchisraqay (qanchis –seven, raqay-inclusure) is one of the districts in pisaq remaining outside
the fortified city, about ½ km,(0.3 mile) away from the surrounding wall , that sector is also
known as kanturaqay the name being related to our national flower kantu it is constituted by
many buildings with parka type walls, that is, made with non-carved mud bonded stones that
originally had a clay stucco. Over here there are some kanchas (apartments) for non-noble
people that must have cultivated the lower terracing; around here there are also some remains
of aqueducts and fountains supplying water for people dwelling in the area. From this spot there
is a panoramic view of the terracing that seen from the valley’s bottom look narrow but staying
up here one discovers that they are broad. Its location on the edge of a precipice is also
exceptional for watching over and controlling the movement the people or travelers who use
the road toward the paucartambo region and the antisuyo.

Following the trail toward the west of qanchisraqay one reaches the crossroads known as
antachaka (anta-cooper, chaka-bridge), where there are some water fountains and a surface
aqueduct for the terracing, toward the west, on the irregular almost vertical surface of the
mountain there is a large amount of something like hollows: they are looted tombs of the biggest
pre-Hispanic cemetery in the region. Today, the cemetery is known as tankanamarka (tankay –
to push, marka – spot; it maybe translated as hurling spot,). And according to some estimates it
must have contained about 10,000 tombs that were mostly looted, in the inkan belief it was
stated that once persons died they began a newer life; therefore, their mummies were kept
along with all their goods and necessary food, when the conquerors arrived they soon knew
that inside the inkan tombs they could also find jewels or precious stones and metal, thus they
began with their diabolical profanation and pillaging of ancient Peruvian’s tombs, that is why
the cemetery in pisaq contains mostly looted tombs, some mummies are still inside the graves
but not their jewels and daily life elements.

Continuing the hike, one crosses the partially destroyed surrounding all, in which the trapezoidal
doorway named as amrupunku (amaru-snake, punku-doorway) still kept its lintel, around there,
is the district known as kallaqasa (kalla – cut, qasa- pass) also named as hanaq pisaq (upper
pisaq), it contains many parka type buildings among apartments, storehouses, towers, and so
many stairways on the edge of the precipice.

Following the trail after amaru punku there is a small tunnel drilled taking advantage of a natural
fault; it is 16 mts. (52.5 feet) long and its height is irregular and low , so people must bent down
to cross it, this was not a principal path but a secondary one in the city, which cannot be
compared with the inka trail toward to machupicchu that was a real inkan ñan or royal road
where there are much more comfortable tunnels, going on , by the uneven trail with many
stairways is the religious sector in pisaq. Today this sector is named as intiwatana (inti- sun,
watana .fastener).

Intiwatana is the most important district in pisaq, it corresponds to the ceremonial core or
religious complex of the city that has the best quality constructions with sedimentary type walls,
that is, with polished –joint carved stones that have a rectangular outer surface, its location on
the mountain’s upper section is superb and dominates visually a great territory of the valley.
This sector must have been constituted by diverse temples such as qosqo’s qoricancha with
shrines for different deities. The lack of precise information today make it difficult to known
which were the gods worshipped in every temple. In the complex’s central part is a semicircular
building with one lateral straight wall which main gate is toward the south, by deduction and
analogy with other similar buildings it is stablished that is was the sun temple in pisaq. On both
side walls of its ascending entrance there are small hand- boxes carved in the rock that were
surely used as holder. Like a handrail, by the middle of this buildings is the altar carved in the in
situ rock, with a central interrupted conical protuberance that is known as intiwatana (sun
fastener, but its original name must have been saywa or suqanqa) and must have been used for
allowing observation of the solar movements with help of some other elements or carved angles
that served as pegs for calculating the shadows projections. Today intiwatana has many sings of
having been hardly hit, though, it is possible to notice its original shape, an interrupted cone,
the altar served to Carrie out, different ceremonies worshipping the sun god as well as sacrificing
animal for divination purposes.

Descending the sun temple stairway, farther to southwest side is another interrupted conical
carving that was surely use in a close-relationship with the intiwatana even farther down to the
west is a carved stone altar and a stepping symbol sculpted in the natural rock representing the
three stages of the Andean religious world: the heaven, the earthly world and the subsoil, that
sculpture was possibly used as a help element for solar observations too.

In this temple there are some other rectangular temples with very good quality walls. Their
specific duties are unknown; but, today tradition is trying to impose names for them, of course
without any documented support, a small room was placed in the middle of this sector breaks
the architectonic balance of the spot; it was made with parka type walls that served perhaps as
an enclosure for tarpuntay or priest in charge of service in these temples. Besides in this area
there are very well carved channels and remains of fountains that because of their quality and
location must have had strictly religious duties as water was a special deity among the Andean
people who always had channels, fountains and reservoirs for its cult, about 20 mts.(65 feet)
in front of the complex’s main gate is a very special fountain of which the bottom is below the
floor level and served as a water receptacle, on both sides of its spillway there are two carvings
that look like handles ;because of its layout it perhaps served as bathtub to take ceremonial
baths as a way to purifying the body. From this zone there is a partial view, of the original
channeling of the urubamaba river that flow in a straight line about 3.3 kms (2 miles). It is known
that in inkan times this river was completely channeled from pisaq and as far as ollantaytambo.
The aim of the channel was to gain farmlands and protect them, covering a length about 90 kms.
(56 miles) in the valley; today, in many sectors it is possible to observe remains of the channel’s
lateral walls.

} going down by the stairways toward southeast of the intiwatana sector is the pisaqa district
that has a somewhat semicircular shape following the mountain’s silhouette. It has a few walls
with carved stones ,some of the parka type and some others simply made with sun dried mud
bricks. Over here there are some very well distributed kanchas (apartments). From the southern
end of this sector, it is possible to see on the mountain abrupt surface some circular pukaras
(defensive towers) and the adobe qolqas (storehouses) of sustenance goods. All over the
complex there are farming terraces built even as far as the edges of precipices that still keep
their straight sometimes vertical aqueducts ( water does not flow any more)and their projecting
ladders made with stones that are fit into the retaining walls allowing one to pass from terrace
to the other. From this sector. There is a trail toward the south in order to go down as far as the
pisaq colonial town. It offers a very interesting panorama, otherwise, it will be necessary to take
the northern trail to get the parking lot.