CHINCHERO WAS BURNED.

Chinhero was burned by Manco Inka after his defeat in Cusco in 1536, he passed by Chinchero and he decided to burn it, and the invaders who were persecuting him could not have either food or lodging.
On a platform is the colonial church that was build on an Inka Palace (possible was the main in all Chinchero), in 1572, Vice-king 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 on the façade there is wall painted of virgin of Monserrat keeping on her hands a baby, to her right is the victory celebration that coincides with the Thanksgiving procession and the presence of Saint Paul, and Saint Peter holding in his hand the heaven's keys. Toward the left side of the Virgin is the battle representing chaos and Tupaq Amaru's faction. More over, there are images representing Pumakawa symbolized in form of fighting victorious Pumas; and other images representing Tupaq Amaru symbolized by the "amaru" (serpent-dragon) as 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 Chiwant'ito and dated in 1693.
By the middle of this plaza is a bust honoring Mateo García Pumakawa Chiwant'ito who was born in the house located in front of the bust; the house has small arch windows on the second floor. Mateo Pumakawa was Chinchero's Quechua chief, Official and Warrant Officer paid by the Spanish army; he fought against the Tupaq Amaru II 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 the Tupaq Amaru defeat, Pumakawa made paint his victory in frescos over the church's gate
Also here you can see colonial architecture with columns that have bramantesco capitels without any decoration in the entire column.
Leaving Chinchero, near to the car parking there on the rock there is a rustic church where every first Sunday of every month, all the varayocs (Ayllu’s major) come here they get together in a meeting to talk about their Ayllus, near there are plants of Kantu flower, the sacred flower for the Inkas, in their cosmology they believed that when someone will die, his/her spirit will go to the hanan Pacha and on the way, if he/she would get tired and thirsty could drink the water that is into the flower because it has the shape of a bell and when it rains the water get into here, that is why this plant was found in many tombs, also this flower is related with the sacred animal known as the K’ente or hummingbird, who was the most sacred bird among all, and it is the only bird that can drink the nectar of this flower as it has the large and tinny beak.
Near to Chinchero is the Piuray lake, that was important during the Inka times because water was channeled from here to drink in Cusco, during the colonial time, in august of 1572 the vice-king Toledo ordered to reuse again the Inka channel to bring water to Cusco, and during the Republic time Cusco drank water from this lake using the same Inka channel, and still nowadays Cusco drinks water from this lake.
In Chinchero, every Sunday morning there is a nice native market, which is one of the most typical and commendable ones in the region. Over here it is still possible to observe bartering of goods, and almost always people exchange 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 a market for tourists 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.

ABOUT THE ARQUEOLOGICAL PLACE OF CHINCHERO

On its main plaza there are 12 niches where probable put mommies or deities during sacred or activities, at the background is the colonial church (we will talk about this after) walking by the left side get into where the terraces are, and notice that here there are a lot of them that is why this town was very important during Inka times by the altitude where it is, mainly for potatoes, here there is another plaza that maybe was for carry out important ceremonies that is why in front there are the remains of some Inka palaces that according to the Spanish mission that came here to study about Chinchero they mention that the palaces of Chinchero (the post impotents) where build during the period of Inka Pachaquteq.
Here also is a good place where you can see one characteristic of the Inka’s architecture similar to those that are in Saqsayhuaman, at the back there are also terraces that were build on the mountain hillside because here it is like small valley and has a different kind of climate, and are build taking advantage the geography of the zone, Chinchero is a town where we can see some Wakas or shrines that are from Inka times, their original names are lost just now we have some names that could or not be the original during the Inkas time, the first is known as the Tete Qaqa, Tete means stone and Qaqa means mother rock, it is a limestone outcrop where on the top we can see some carved on the rock in shapes oh ceremonial tables, altars, and there is one that have the shape on a snake that is destroyed, the second is some meter away and is known as Chincana Q’aqa, Chincana means where you get lost and Q’aqa means mother rock, that have some carved on the rock and some stairs, and at the base there are some niches with a water channel near, where probable was a place to adore the sacred live element, walking some meters up there is special carved rock that on its face has stairs designs and on the top there many sacred altars, walking up again you will arrive to a place that is a natural outcrop of pieces of rock, with altars and at the base there is a special design that represent to the three sacred animal for the Inkas, the Puma, the Amaru and the Kuntur, all of them are trying to get into to the Pacha Mama, representing that they are connecting the three celestial worlds the Ukju Pacha, the Kay Pacha and the Hanan Pacha, walking up near to the church there is another Waka known as the Puma Q’aqa, Puma is the name of the animal and Q’aqa means mother rock, here on the top there are the images of two pumas with the heads mutilated by the idolatry extirpation, with some altar, and under this Waka there are 4 niches that probable were to put into some mommies, because it is not so usually to see niches under or very close to a Waka.

ABOUT THE NAME OF CHINCHERO

Its original name is lost, according to some studiers probable it comes from the word “chinchay” that is the name of a feline similar to the Puma that was important in the Inka’s cosmology and religion, that probable lived in this areas, but according to villagers this animal still lives on the mountains. Although today tradition knows it as the "land of the rainbow" because over here the K'uychi (rainbow) is frequently seen in the rainy season. As it is known the rainbow was a special deity among Inkas; it had a temple inside the Qosqo's Qorikancha, and still today in many regions of the Andes people respect, fear or even revere it. Alfonsina Barrionuevo, about the behavior of people in front of a rainbow says, "... It is not possible to watch the rainbow, they say superstitiously, without covering the mouth because it rots the teeth. Neither it is possible to point it with the finger because it undermines the bones. Maidens run away from it because if it catches them in the countryside, it has children with them".

ABOUT CHINCHERO

Chinchero is a town that is 30 Kms. (19 miles) away through the paved road, northwest from Qosqo. Its altitude is 3780 mts. (12400 feet), over a plateau that is cold during the early mornings and at night time.

ABOUT THE QUARRY STONE

Walking up you arrive to the sector kwon as the sun temple, it is constituted by 6 blocks of rock that were carved, one block have three protuberances on its face that like another that has only one probable those were images representing some pumas that were destroyed by Spaniard with the “idolatry extirpation” that was a system for killing andean people, notice that in the middle of all this wall there are some representation that have a special shape it looks like a bleacher because it has level, that could represent the live-way, because during your staying here on the earth you have to learn, improve, do as much as you can, and every time you do it is like you will be walking up by each letter.
Something that calls the attention is that in the middle of each block there are others that are smaller than the big blocks; those were put there to prevent to build another big block, because when there is an earthquake as those are big blocks by the tension and the weight they will broke the piece that is in the middle and as it is not a hard work to build that small piece it is not a big problem, but if there was not those smalls, make sure that to built the big blocks would be a hard work.
The blocks, and other rocks were taken from Kachi K’ata quarry, that is on the another mountain in front, from this distance they took them; first they had to broke the blocks, stone pieces from the outcrop rock, after carved this, not at all, after they throw the blocks until it get the lower and flat part, to cross the river they there is an idea that mention that they closed a half part of the river until have in the middle like an island, they crossed the river with the block an after they had to dry the another half part of the river and pass the block to the other border of the river, and that is how they could do it, but try to imagine, if you dry a half part of the river its base is wet (humid) and with the weight of the block this will get into the wet-earth and it could be a hard work to take this out, another theory mention that when they were in the front-border they tied the rock with ropes, after some workers pushed the rock to the river (no divided either dried) and the force of the river will push it floating and another group of workers who were on the front-border will pull it and they will have the rock some meters lower from they started, after they build a ramp, to take the rock block to the up, they used stone balls and logs at the base and on they put the block again tied, where some workers pushed and others pulled, that was how they cross them.
Near there are some buildings where possible inhabitants lived, going by the road that is guided by arrows painted, you will pass by a particular building that was the control for everybody who wanted to get into the main sector that was the temple of the sun, with doors and niches into, nobody could live there because it is not comfortable neither wide, after you pass and see the another valley, in front you there are some building that were maybe qolqas, because they are on a wind part, and have wide windows and doors, walk down and you will arrive to a astronomical sector, here it is the face of a rock that was sculpted building 5 protuberances that were used during the solstices of June and December, when it is half-day and the sun in at the middle of the sky it illuminate all and the protuberance’s shade completes the holes that are at the base, in the down part there is a part which is carved in three levels that are related with the three andean worlds of the Inkas cosmovision, after walking you will pass by some baths that were sacred to purify the body before get into one of the sacred places that exist there, along the street there is a ceremonial rock like that in Machu Pijchu, that has also an altar, next to this there is a rock formation that probable has the shape of a condor with some altars where possible the villagers put their offers, near there are some buildings that possible were sacred rooms, because there is one construction that have three double jump doors, similar to the exist in Paqarectambu (it is located in the province of Paruro, known as the origin of the Inkas), walking back by the same road, and go by the left sector, and you will arrive to the sector called as the Ñusta’s bath, here there is an special carved rock that looks like to be three levels in all that have the shape of a Chacana, where according to local belief it says that during inka times used to come here the Ñustas (Inka princess) to try and see if they were virgins or not, it mention that one Ñusta had to pass her finger cutting the water way, if water got together to the rock-face she still was virgin, but if it did not, if it continued its way like a waterfall she was not a virgin; that is just a local theory because if we see on the rock there are two white porous lines, that when someone cross the finger the run-water will be less and oxygen or air will get into those porous lines (this is the first theory), after, the channel that brings water to this small tub is not right (straight, rectum) checking when water comes it hits the front side and the velocity of water changes to be “0” after the water will go around the tub with “0” velocity will continue and when water goes and happens the first theory the water will get together to the rock-face, and that is the theory of how it works, this sector was a sacred because the same architecture is well designed, going along the way you will arrive to the sacred plaza that has niches where were put into mommies during sacred or ceremonial activities, near there is a building known as the temple of the water where there are two double jump windows and a main door ,also into there are some niches where probable put there some idols during ceremonial activities, also there is a natural outcrop that was carved in order to serve as a ceremonial carved rock.

KIND OF CONSTRUCTIONS

Still walk up and you will arrive to a place where another kind of constructions starts, this kind is better than the lowers, here you will see a double jump door that was probable the main door to get into the sun temple that is on the top, you will see that on the stone blocks there are some protuberances, those were used to put the rock on that one that is at the base, those were left there as a defensive system, because when there is an earthquake the tension of the movement will look for a place where to get out, and those protuberances are for that function, after there is the remain of which was a sacred room, that have some niches along the right side, it had a door and at the left side there was a wall but now it is not there, just there is the foundation of this wall, notice something important in the wall that between the window’s column there is one that is higher than that one that is next to, it is a kind of defensive system to avoid be destroyed by an earthquake, after is the door that again is a defensive system because the rock blocks that are up and down are just one block while that one that is in the middle is composed by two pieces of rock, and when there is an earthquake the two block (up and down) will force that one that is in the middle and as it is two blocks this will not be broke.

ABOUT THE STOREHOUSES

Next to this place there is a group of room that looks like a pavilion in three lines, those have doors and windows, until some years ago people thought that this building was a hospital, but it could not be because it is hard to go and the patient could also die before get there, another group of people thought that were jails, but those could not be, because all the room have wide and big room and windows and the prisoner could escape the first day or night that they were imprisoned, also another group of people thought that it was a yachay wasi or school for the Inkas but for the distance and the accessibility it could not be, the logical ideas mention that those were Qolqas or storehouses where they saved their products after harvest, to preserve them for the future, because it has wide windows and doors that make able the wind get into and keep fresh those saved products, first they put muña plant (muña is a plant that its smell prevent get into the insects and bugs), after they put on straw (andean grass) and on the product like corn and potatoes, near to this buildings on the edge of the mountain there are other buildings that were also qolqas but by their position maybe those were to keep into seeds of the most important products that were cultivated.

ABOUT TUNUPA OF PINKUYLLUNA HILL

Ollantaytambo is considered as the Inka’s living city because this town still keeps many characteristics of the Inka’s city planning; most of the houses are built with Inka’s foundation, after the street is the main square of Ollantaytambo where according to some archeologist when they excavated they found pieces of pre-inka culture, Killke, like in Pisaq, this culture has expanded until this lands, after is the Patacancha river that divides the town in two parts, after is the same archeological complex, at the bottom is the sacred plaza where around there are niches around this plaza, and nowadays here is where is carried out the Ollantay drama, in front there are many terraces that were used for supporting the earth and the buildings up, those worked as contention walls, and to get up there are stairs, when you are at the middle you have a view of the two valleys the Urubamba valley and the valley that comes from the northeast, in front you is the mountain called as Pinkuylluna, where according to local belief is representing the face of Tunupa who was, and local tradition mentions that in ancient times, when Ollantaytambo was a pre-inka village, the villagers lived in a common, without rules, laws, nothing, one day appeared Tunupa (who was an old man carrying on his back his belongings, who used to walk underground) and tried to educate to the villagers, but at the first moment as happens with many villages, they did not accept those rules, but when they saw that all that knowledge that the old man was teaching them was good and they started improving everything like construction, agriculture, but when it was time to leave the town and go again walking to teach other towns, but villagers did not want it that is why they decided to close him into a room but as he walked underground for the next day he disappeared, and villagers decides to built a representation of Tunupa on the hill of the mountain. But it is just a deformation of the rock because it is difficult to go and climb until that altitude.

ABOUT THE LLAQTA PUNKU

At the entrance of Ollantaytambo there is a building called as Llaqta Punku, that means town’s gate, it has two doors one to get in and the other to get out the town, next to there are two big niches that kept into maybe soldiers protecting the town, from here also you will see that people built their houses on agricultural terraces, and some terraces still are working for agriculture, on the road there is a place called as the street of the 100 niches, maybe this was an inclosure because in all rooms, inclosures, palaces niches are inside and not outside, probable it was an inclosure that was destroyed and after people built their houses and the street to visit the city, along the street notice that still remains some characteristics of Inka’s city planning, there are some chroniclers who mention that when they got into Cusco by the first time they saw in many streets one channel in the in middle or at one side of the street carrying clean water for drinking of the city, the same we have in Ollantaytambo.

ABOUT THE NAME OF OLLANTAYTAMBO

Ollantay that the name of an army general who according to tradition was one of the principal’s of the inka ruler Pachaquteq, Ollantay with Cusy Qoyllor (Pacaqutes’s daughter) got love each other, but it was forbidden by the ruler, because just she could get love with someone of nobility from her same level, and Ollantay was not member of this level, that is why the Inka ruler took him out, and he came to this lands and armed his army to fight against Pachaquteq,he established here, but when the years passed the general Rumi Ñawi (Rumi means stone and Ñawi means eye) won him in a battle and he was taken to Cusco but Pachaquteq was dead and his son Topa Inka Yupanqui was the new Inka Ruler, and he forgave them (Ollantay and Cusi Qoyllor) and let them get married, and for that time they had a daughter, this story was kept as an oral tradition and after written as a drama by Antonio Valdez, a priest from Urubamba by the middle of the XVIII century.

ABOUT OLLANTAYTAMBO

It is located toward the northwest from Cusco, about 76 km. from Cusco, its name comes from two quechua words.

INTIWATANA OF PISAQ

Intiwatana, inti means sun and watana means fastener, probable because on the solstice of 21 of June is the day when the sun get away from the earth and they thought that the sun was abandoned them, that is why with ceremonies, praying, paying to earth they tried to tie (fastener) the sun to avoid it leave the earth. But the name for those kind of protuberances according to chroniclers were saywa or suk’anka, but, when some foreigners studiers came here maybe they heard that people called Intiwatana, that is why nowadays it is called like that.

This is the most important sector in all P’isaq, the same kind of architecture is different to the another sectors, it is the called inka imperial, one of the finest kind of stonework, there is an platform that possible was a Ushnu (a sacred table where the andean priest carried out just very sacred and important ceremonies) because as this is on the upper part and all the sector is sacred (it is related), in the middle of all, there is particular building, a room, that is the only one that is built with pirka style, using mud as mortar, it look more ancient that the others, probable it was the priest-house, where he stayed in during sacred libations, and to keep the harmony with all the complex, it was covered with clay.

Other theory mention that before the arrive of the inkas to these land was established here a pre inka culture, possible the killke, whom knew these valley and expanded its dominion until this valley, and this sector was the religious area and this rustic room was the temple of the killke, when the inkas arrived here they saw it and they just respect its function building around their temples and astronomy observatory.

The most important construction in that on that have the shape of the letter D but in flat position with a main and unique gate (entrance, door) in the middle there is natural outcrop rock that was worked, and on the top they left a small protuberance in a vertical position, similar to the Intiwatana of Machu Pijchu but smaller, next to, there is another protuberance similar, all this is walled and out there is an peculiar stone carved known as chakana, it is a rock that have 3 levels at both sides, representing the three andean world , the lower is known as Ukj’u pacha that means underground stage, in the middle is the Kay pacha that means earth’s surface stage, and the higher is the Hanan pacha that means the sky stage, all of them related with the three important and sacred animal, the ukj’u pacha with the amaru or mach’ajway (snake), the kay pacha with the puma (cougar or andean mountain lion) and the hanan pacha with the kuntur (andean condor), in the solstice of June and December when the sun raises, and illuminate this sector with the shade its half-part was completed, having the all shape, also for some people it represents the three laws (rules) of the unkas, for some it is the ama suwa (do not steal), ama K’ella do not be lazy) and ama llulla (do not lie), those were not the three laws during inka inka times, because it was not necessary to steal because everybody had everything that was necessary to live food, home, farmland, it was not necessary to be lazy because everybody has something to do either he or she was blind, cripple, and finally it was not necessary to lie, because the inka rules were established in all the Tawantinsuyo area and if someone did something bad against the rules was punished, and the punishment in that time were hard. The three laws were munay (lo love), Yachay (to learn, to know) and llan’qay (to work), love everything that you have like nature, family, the live, learn as much as you can, because if you learn you will know and you can do whatever to live without destroying, and finally work, because if you do not work you will not eat, live, you will not have anything, those were the three inka laws.

Also in this sector there are some water fountains that were used to purify the body when someone wanted to get into the main and sacred sector, the lower fountain have stairs and two small holes to hang get into water after get out. Also from here you can see that the main gate of this area is a double jump door, that means that the sector in is very sacred, and it is.

On the road to go to Ollantaytambo, it is all the valley where grow up the corn with the hugest grain of the world because all this valley is very fertile for agriculture , also there are some villages and towns; like Qoya, it’s a typical village of the sacred valley where it is a good place to be during carnival dates, after is Lamay, according to villagers it comes from llama sachina pampa that means flat area where the llama rest, and this is flat maybe it is right, on the mountain is one archeological complex called as Huchuy Qosqo (small Cusco) where you can get walking and crossing the river by the bridge, another town is Calca, according to people who live there, they say it comes from a quechua word K’allca that means a place where there are a lot of stones, and here there are.

Calca is a nice town that has two squares, it was an important town during the first years of the colonia in Cusco, because when Manco Inka did the rebel, on against the Spaniards after the defeat in Cusco he came to the Yucay valley and in Calca he established his headquarter and armed a new group of soldiers to fight against the Spanish, after is Wayllabamba known as the corn (maize) land, after is Yucay that possible comes from Yuc’aya that means “deceived”, because a local tradition that means that the villagers from here were deceived by those from Urubamba when it has to be built the church, here there are the remains of the palace of Sayri Tupac Inka one of the last inka ruler, who built his palace here after the emergence from Vilcabamba, but after some years he dead possible poisoned by the Spaniards to avoid any rising against them, after is Urubamba province, where now we can see a colonial church that is been fixed by the INC (Instituto Nacional de Cultura), here also on the upper area where nowadays is the cemetery there is an inka palace.

Along all the way that we are doing the Wilkamayu river is always will go with us, about its name wilka means sacred and river means river, this river rises at the pass of La Raya, southeast of Cusco, runs through the very heartland of what was Tawantinsuyo, the Inca empire, there was an important Inka shrine at La Raya where the valley begins. In between stood many of the most famous sacred or elite Inca sites such as the temple the temple of Wiracocha at Raqchi, the ruins of P’isaq and Huchuy Qosqo, the royal palaces at Yucay and Urubamba, the imposing settlement of Ollantaytambo, and the string of ceremonial centers along what is now known as the Inka trail, and surrounds Machu Pijchu by its three sides and after it still going along the same valley.

This river Wilkamayu had its celestial counterpart in the Milky Way, a key element in Inca cosmology which also they called mayu, according to this cosmology the inkas thought that when someone dead, along his way to arrive to the Hanan Pacha, they had to pass a river (celestial river) and to pass this river, they needed the help of a black dog who usually was put with the mummy, that is why when archeologist excavated they found the mummy with the dog, this tradition still lives in the andes, because nowadays andean people use to mention that the spirit of someone dead will need the help of a dog (they agree that it has to be a black dog) to pass the river.

In Inka times the whole river was called the Wilkamayu, today its usually called the Vilcanota upstream of P’isaq or Huambutio, and the Urubamba lower down, but there is no precise point where the name changes.

After Urubamba there are many villages around but some important in Yanahuara, where now still exist one of the last Q’euña forest (Q’euña is one of the tipical andean tree, native tree) that is up walking among the mountains, also here there is a hill (small mountain) that have the shape of a toad, this animal is related in the andean area with the rain and with the agriculture, because when the toad cries it means that it will rain and rain water is necessary for agriculture, also this animal like other helped to the inkas to know the time, if it was dry season or rainy season, after is the village of Pachar where in its valley there are many terraces and shrines, also here is going to be the train station of Peru Rail, going by the road that is along the valley there are many agricultural terraces, there is place where the mountain finishes and stars again, and make the valley here narrow, where the inkas built a fortress now called as Choqana and Inkapintay, places that controlled the access to this part of the valley and you will see how the inkas changed the way of the river strategically, after there are still terraces and finally you arrive to Ollantaytambo.

TIANAYUC IN PISAQ

Tianayuc means “that have its seat” also is called as Ñust’a tianayuc that means “where the Ñust’a (inka Princess) seats” this is a small group of rooms, and in the middle there is a natural protuberance up, and the inka’s engineers decided to build there an altar for ceremonies, the rooms that are around have niches into, that maybe served to put into images of deities or sacred elements, as this is near to the main sector, possible here the Willaq Uhma (andean priest) used to did a pre-ceremony, before get into the Intiwatana sector.

Q’ALLA Q’ASA IN PISAQ

This sector is also known as Hanan P’isaq (upper P’isaq), Q’alla means cut and Q’asa means pass, is the highest sector of all P’isaq and here appears a wall that surrounds and protects the sacred sector called as Intiwatana. During the excavations made by Arminda Gibaja, she found some special buildings that were used to raise into guinea pigs.
As this area is the highest, possible controlled all, because near this we will find some door that also controlled its access, the first door is called as Amaru Punku, Amaru means snake and punku means door, its original name is lost, probable nowadays inhabitants put this name by the wall because if we see this wall it looks like a snake when this goes along the mountain, at the back of this door we will see one hole worked just in a block of rock, it has a quadrangular shape and in the middle there is a depression that served to put into a small cylindrical piece of stone, in the another column was something similar but in this case the inkas used the presence of the rock to have its couple there, they tied a kind of door that consisted in some wooden sticks in vertical position and another in horizontal position, those doors were not like ours now, no were so save as now, because in all the road there are some control points, the kind of construction of this door is fine, if when you pass the door you have to walk up by some stair that were built according to nature without destroying it, the inkas built everything according to nature respecting it, after there is a tunnel, when the inkas sew this natural fissure they modified it, passing the tunnel there is a building called as pukara, it is a semi circular building that have some niches in, but according to the architecture those niches were for domestically use, it had a wall that surrounded which is destroyed now. From this part you have a good view of the sector called as P’isaqa, because from here the sector has the shape of a bird’s pick, similar to those that have the tinamou (in this group is the Nothoprocta ornata) and probable is by this reason why the name of P’isaq.

CEMENTERY OF PISAQ

In P’isaq nowadays we can see a good example of how was an inkas cemetery, this sector is called as Tank’ana Marka, Tank’ana means to push and Marka means province, this is a hillside of a mountain that has about 100 meters altitude keeping more than approximately 3 000 tombs, those tombs were looted during the colonial time, the Spaniards excavated tombs searching for precious metal like gold and silver, also for some precious stones that the inkas used to put with the mommy, now nobody can get there and take something out.As this is a hillside its inaccessible, the inkas built a bridge to pass from one mountain to another and now we can see the foundations of this bridge, before the inkas put the mommy into his tomb they used to built like a road (trail, pass) where walk and take the mommy into his tomb, after they destroyed the road to avoid someone get there, and they started building another tombs lower than those that were full.

ANDEAN TERRACES OF PISAQ

In almost all the archeological park of P’isaq there are andean terraces that served as agricultural areas, the inka’s engineers took advantage of the geography of the mountain, they approached the lower fields and to add more agricultural spaces they built terraces on the hillsides of the mountain and that is how they could feed so many inhabitants like were during inka times, those terraces have also channels to be provided by water, that is why the andean territory is considered as one of the eight centers of origin of agriculture in the world.

THE SECTORS OF PISAQ

Q’ANTU RAQAY.

This is the higher sector of all P’isaq, about its name is lost like the another’s, because during the colonial time the inkas were forced to forget everything that could remember them about themselves, and no many chroniclers mention the original names, that is why we just have hypothetical names, this sector is called as Q’antu Raqay, Q’antu is the name of a flower (kantua buxifoglia) that was considered as sacred during inka times and Raqay means inclosure, some people use to call this sector as Q’anchis Raqay, Q’anchis means seven (number) and Raqay means inclosure, it's constituted by many buildings with “p’irka” (rustic) stile construction, has an open square from where you can see many Andean terraces that were used for agriculture, taking advantage the geography of the zone, on the top of the sector there are some rooms and to get there you have to walk along stairs and some handrail that were worked drilling some wall stone, when you arrive you see a double-jump door, that means that the construction in is sacred, there is a little square with 2 rooms at your left, 1 wall that surrounds the plaza and another room in front to you, this room has the shape of a Q’antu flower (Q’antu looks like a bell and the shape of this room is similar to a bell), perhaps it is the reason why the name of this sector, all the rooms and the wall have niches into that served maybe to put into images of some deities or sacred elements, because this area is connected with the cemetery, and possible here the andean priest gave the last good-bye to important mummies before to be out into their tombs (something similar to the deathwatch that we have nowadays).

According to some archeologist, they mention that probable the Q’antu Raqay sector is the most ancient construction of all the area of P’isaq, also they found remains from the “killke” pre-inka culture, which expanded until this area.
This sector was a control of access to the sacred valley and of course to the religious zone where just could get into the Willaq Uhma (andean priest) and some pilgrims who used to arrive to deposit their presents and offers.

ABOUT PISAQ

Pisaq is located about 33 km. toward the northwest of Cusco at both sides of the Wilkamayu river, about its name we just have some theories, the first is that maybe it comes from a quechua name “P’isaqa” that is the name of a kind of partridge, (Nothoprocta ornata) that in ancient times lived along this area, also according to some scholars they mention that this complex had the shape of this bird, the second mentions that it comes from Cristobal Pisaq, who was the representative of this area when arrived to Cusco the vice-king Francisco de Toledo and helped him (Toledo) to make the documentation that ordered the vice-king.

At bottom of the mountain there is a town called also as Pisaq, where every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday is carried out on its main square a typical handicraft market where inhabitants sell some souvenirs for tourists, but is recommendable to visit this market on Sunday because this day in the morning come to the town all the VARAYOCs (majors of Andean villages) they go to the church where the priest do mass in quechua language, after the mass all the varayocs go to the plaza meet the authorities and drink chicha (corn beer), at the afternoon all the varayocs return to their own villages in the andes.

To get the archeological complex you can take a taxi from the corner next to the bridge in a colectivo service or in a private one, or you can go walking too, also you can rent a car to do the sacred valley tour, the driver will take you until the higher sector called as Q’antu Raqay, and from this place you can start your tour with or without a tour guide (recommendable a tour guide) after you will visit the big Inka’s cemetery from all the Tawantinsuyo, and near this is the Q’alla Q’asa sector, walking some meters you will pass by a tunnel and by a pukara that protected the main sector and from this place you have a good view of the P’isaqa sector which is the lowest, still walking and visit the most important and sacred sector, the Intiwatana, where there is the finest stonework of all Pisaq.