Sacsayhuaman - Cusco, Peru

Admission to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman (located just outside Cuzco, Peru) is covered with the cost of a Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turistico del Cuzco). This ticket can be purchased for around forty-five US Dollars at any number of tour vendors around Cuzco. If you book a city tour, the ticket is normally included in the price of the tour. Due to the distance of some attractions, I would recommend doing these trips as part of an organized tour. You will benefit from transportation as well as getting a more comprehensive of the sites you are visiting.

Sacsayhuaman is almost pronounced sexy woman; an on-going joke that tour guides seem to relish sharing with their English speaking tour groups. The ruins are located on a hill that overlooks the city. At an elevation of 12,142 feet, the ruins are nearly 1,000 feet higher than the city, providing visitors with an excellent vantage point of Cuzco. It also demonstrates the strategic value of the site, which dates back as far as one thousand years. The fortress was the site of a siege in the mid sixteenth century. Aside from the fortress-like qualities of the large stone walls, the site was also believed to be the dwelling place of the aristocracy.

To the Inca, Cuzco was the heart of the universe. The name Cuzco means “navel of the world.” The city is believed to have been built in the shape of their sacred puma, with the area known as Sacsayhuaman representing the head. The historic site has produced numerous relics. Some of these relics date to the pre-Inca period, with occupation of the area dating back as far as 900 AD. Due to the rich history of the area, the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.

Visitors arrive at Sacsayhuaman at an entrance gate that includes public restrooms. These restrooms were not adequately stocked with paper products, but did not require a fee for use. Many restrooms around Peru have an attendant that generally charges one sole to use the restroom. The attendant often provides the paper products, as well. After showing your Tourist Ticket, you pass into a large open field that narrows into a broad passage between two opposing mounds reinforced with large stone slabs. The stone demonstrates the superior Incan masonry techniques with carefully fitted stones creating amazingly tight joints. The lack of mortar demonstrates their amazing skills working with stone. The size of the stones is often dumbfounding.

Unfortunately, when the Spanish sacked Cuzco, they used Sacsayhuaman as a labor-free quarry. The pillaged stone was put to use in other structures. It is believed that both mounds once housed towers as well as other structures. One of the structures on the mound facing Cuzco was covered during my visit. Apparently, heavy rains damaged the structure. The covering is meant to protect the existing structures which date back half a millennium. It was not uncommon to see large wooden beams used to reinforce walls around other ruins I visited, but this was the only one I recall seeing tarp coverings. It seemed a bit surreal, but necessary.

After learning about the history of Sacsayhuaman, we were allowed to freely roam the structures and snap photographs. I ascended the mound further away from Cuzco, which had a steep set of stone stairs. Combined with the high altitude, it did not take long to get winded from the climb. This tour was on my first day in the mountains, so I had not yet acclimatized. It was not enough to tire me out, but I did not feel the need to climb the other mound when I finished.

Tourists are filtered toward the back side of Sacsayhuaman after visiting the ruins. As you descend towards the staging area for the buses, you will have plenty of opportunities to purchase local crafts. A number of merchants near the buses will display a variety of hand-made crafts for reasonable prices. It is okay to dicker with them. If you decide you want your picture with one of the local women, understand that it is customary to pay a fee. 1.50 sole is generally accepted as the standard fee. If you are on a tour, you will have other opportunities to purchase these crafts. Merchants are set up at all of the tourist locations.

Sacsayhuaman was an interesting ruins to visit, but it was not entirely interactive. I enjoyed the artwork in the Cathedral and the Sun Temple in Cuzco a bit more. Visitors to Sacsayhuaman do not need to be entirely fit to enjoy the tour. It requires several hundred yards of walking, mostly downhill, if you decide you don’t want to explore the ruins after hearing the history. If you decide to hike a bit, the steps will give you a vigorous workout. You can see most of this site in about half an hour, which is about how long our tour spent exploring the site including the history lesson. Sacsayhuaman is worth the price of admission.

Some of my photos from Peru were accidentally deleted. Mostly from the start of my tour. These photos were taken from Wikimedia.