After a phenomenal day at Machu Picchu following a three day hike up and over the Andeans to get to it, we arrived in Qusqo late in the evening. Today is my last day in Qusqo. It was great to take one more long shower last night and at least rinse my clothes that were soaked with Andean mud. I am grateful that I had a radiator in the room: Everything I washed was dry in one hour to be tucked into my luggage waiting to be thoroughly washed back home. I thoroughly enjoy a bunch of banana pancakes again this morning, other than the corn soup, the best food I have discovered in Peru!
My goal today is to visit Sachasayhuman, an Inca fortress within vicinity of Qusqo. Sweet Maria again guides me to how I can walk up to Sachasayhuman with disbelief in her eyes that I am set not to take a taxi there: I read in my book that it is couple of miles from downtown that is close to me... The people I ask for directions from Plaza de Arma, just to be sure I am walking in the right direction are also loaded with the same disbelief:
The beginning section of the about mile long slope to Sachasayhuman
First they make sure I know that it is a very steep hill that I have to climb, "I know that" I say smilingly. I have to assure them all one by one. I know it is this white hair that makes them all recommend me to take a taxi! Anyway, I head up the … I see a store sign that announces Inca grains as their product. Interesting, tucked in this corner with an unusual product. They are indeed selling all kinds of grains from quinoa to chia to many other grains I hear of for the first time. What is most interesting is that they also sell some Alpaca hand-made apparel. The hat I have been looking for, for my daughter is right there, with the right colors, right texture and the right price! Once that is paid for and secured, I happily push on to the top of the hill, where the entrance is. I discover that getting to the entrance is just half of the climb! But there is a beautiful payoff: Every 10-15 m of elevation gain, Qusqo that reveals itself to me becomes larger, more expansive, more provocative almost…
Then comes the Sachasayhuman slowly revealing itself, its walls, its core, its secrets. But before fully exploring this place, I follow the Mestizo family with a lovely daughter up the trail to the right of the lower walls just because the loving interaction I observed intrigues me. It turns out that they are heading toward Christo Blanco! As a result, without planning I pay my respects to a huge, some 50 feet high statue of Christ, that is as big as a three story apartment building…
A local family and their lovely daughter climbing up along with me to visit the Christo Blanco "protecting" Qusqo for centuries
I head back to Sachasayhuman to complete my tour. As I learn Inka Pachacutec started it in mid-15th century, but it took 100 years to complete it. It is very easy to understand why looking at the walls of the fortress made up of stones several hundred tons each, especially those at the bottom row of each wall. I find out that these massive limestones were carried to this place from as far as 32 km away! Historians estimate that the fortress housed some 10,000 men. My travel book states only ¼ of the original structure has been unearthed. In addition to excavated and partially restored walls, clearly there are ruins under the undulating terrain. According to legend, entire Sachasayhuman represents the head of the puma and the zigzagging walls its teeth! I sure would like to see it from up above…
I discover that at the top of the fortress, there is another entrance to which taxis bring people left and right. That’s where the townspeople were trying to send me then. Culture in Qusqo has evolved around MP and Inca heritage in such a way that everybody makes a living out of some aspect of this huge touristic enterprise. Guided tours are one major business in town. Whoever strikes a spontaneous conversation with you, you may expect that they will make an offer to guide on this or that tour. Women and men dress in the glamorous Inka attire and wit for tourists to take pictures of them or better yet to ask them to take pictures together. Women wonder around a plate full of jewelry, men carry their paintings or drawings to sell. Some of them are chased by the guards in city center. Each company has multiple packages of tours anywhere from the tour of Cuzco, to Sacred Valley, to MP and more…
The walls of Sachasayhuman at the lower entrance
I am so glad that I came to this place instead of going to the chocolate factory. I can see how Spaniards would have found it very convenient to use the stones from this fortress in building some of their buildings. After my tour of the walls and remainder ruins, I climb over the central bedrock that is partly covered by earth and overgrown grass and occasional bushes. It is clear that there are inca buildings waiting to be excavated (or not) underneath. I sit on the Inca stone that seems to sit on the highest point of the mini hill. After enjoying the caress of the breeze on my face and arms, I close my eyes: The object of my meditation is the Inca residents of this neighborhood at a time of battle.
Layers of walls all from Inca times... Their rulers wanted to stay in power, their subjects wanted to live free: I suspect they would have preferred to be free of all oppression. Did they understand their rulers’ need for grandeur as such or as our chief guide told us time and time again, did they devoutly believe that their rulers were in fact gods that made the wind below, sun rise, moon set, rain nourish their crops and many more things they needed to survive? Did they care about being under the rule of their Inca and their nobility versus Spaniards, or did it change very little in their lives? I try to envision their daily routine in their “happy” times, I can see the shy smile of Andreas on the face of a man, the innocent chuckle on the face of an Inca woman carrying her baby on her back in a textile wrap, embracing her bosom. They climb up the steep slopes of Qusqo toward Shacshayuman as the breeze sings a sweet song in my ears unlike the whipping whistle of its kindred up on the mountains. I send them compassionate thoughts across centuries before I open my eyes to the sunshine. 
An indigenous woman carrying her infant child on her back wrapped with her hand-made (most likely) textile
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| The central portion of the walls in Shacshayuman is in a zigzag form, the protrusions representing the teeth of the sacred puma |
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