| |
An
imposing example of Inca military architecture, Sacsayhuaman
is located 2 km from the city of Cusco. The fortress was hewn
from vast granite blocks to protect the city from marauding
tribes from the eastern jungle, the Antis region. Sacsayhuaman
("satisfied hawk" in Quechua, the Inca language)
is divided into three vast zig-zagging terraces and flanked
by massive stone walls, some up to 300 meters long. As it
lies close to Cusco, and due to the dimension of its stones
-some of which stand 5 meters high and weigh over 300 tons-
the site was used as a quarry to provide stone for colonial
buildings in Cusco.
|
|
