There are four Incan ruin sites that are within walking distance from Cusco¨Sacsayhuaman, Quengo, Pucapucara, and Tambo Machay. I took the bus instead.
Our guide was a curious man who insisted on using a whistle (¨two blows means we´re going and three blows means we´re here¨), and carrying Cusco´s flag, which, coincidentally, is identical to the gay pride flag.
I think I mentioned in an earlier entry that the Incans intended Cusco and the surrounding area to be shaped like a Puma. Sacsayhuaman (above), or, as the gringos call it, "sexy woman", was supposed to be the puma´s head. The zig-zag walls, which are made of precisely carved stones, make up the Puma´s teeth. I thought it was a sad irony that this Incan religious site is now also a home to a large Christ figure that overlooks Cusco.
Quengo was a little less impressive. It looked like a big pile of gigantic rocks. It is believed, however, that before the catholics destroyed it, it was a large statue of a puma or other sacred animal. At the top of the rock were also partially destroyed carvings of the Incans three sacred animals: condor, llama, and puma.
Pucapucara was also underwhelming. I guess I ´m a bit jaded. It was the first Incan bathroom I had seen yet though.
It was getting dark at our last stop, Tambo Machay, but I could still see that this ruin was much prettier than the previous two. It was a stepped, stone structure with a beautiful fountain running down two of the levels. Very peaceful!
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