Image PMR654-10 by Peter Michael Rhodes

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PMR654-10 Peru: Cusco/Cuzco/Qosqo (3300 metres a.s.l.), was occupied by the Killke people, from about 900 to 1200 AD, after which it became the capital city of the Incas. Inca legend has it that the city was built by Chief Pachacuti. In 1533 the Spanish arrived and largely rebuilt the city. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1983. Ruins of the (Inca?) construction Sacsayhuaman, believed by some to have been a fortress. Three parallel lines of zig-zag walls run for about 360 metres and there are 21 bastions. The stones, some of them weighing in excess of 130 tons, fit together so precisely that it is impossible to insert a sheet of paper between them. How this was achieved is still a mystery. The walls are now about 6 metres high, after the Spanish used the upper part as a quarry for hundreds of years. It is estimated that about 20% of the original structure survives. Recent excavations suggest that the walls may have been built by the Killke people before the Incas came. Keywords: High Andes, Saksaq Waman, Cuzco, Qosqo, La Ciudad Imperial, The Imperial City, Historical Capital of Peru, colonial architecture, architecture

© Peter Michael Rhodes
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Photographer: Peter Michael Rhodes
Collection: Travel
Filename:
PMR654-10
Upload Date: 2012-11-10 15:27:28
Photo Size: 1.7mb 3543x3543 pixels
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Caption:

Peru: Cusco/Cuzco/Qosqo (3300 metres a.s.l.), was occupied by the Killke

people, from about 900 to 1200 AD, after which it became the capital city of the Incas. Inca legend has it that the city was built by Chief Pachacuti. In 1533 the Spanish arrived and largely rebuilt the city. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1983.

Ruins of the (Inca?) construction Sacsayhuaman, believed by some to have been a fortress. Three parallel lines of zig-zag walls run for about 360 metres and there are 21 bastions. The stones, some of them weighing in excess of 130 tons, fit together so precisely that it is impossible to insert a sheet of paper between them. How this was achieved is still a mystery. The walls are now about 6 metres high, after the Spanish used the upper part as a quarry for hundreds of years. It is estimated that about 20% of the original structure survives. Recent excavations suggest that the walls may have been built by the Killke people before the Incas came.
Keywords: High Andes, Saksaq Waman, Cuzco, Qosqo, La Ciudad Imperial, The Imperial City, Historical Capital of Peru, colonial architecture, architecture