|
If the
city of Cuzco is considered to be in the shape of a puma, then
the mighty fortress of Sacsahuaman would be located at the head,
and its sharply zig-zagged outer walls could represent the
fierce teeth of the animal. Sacsahuaman figured prominently
during the Spanish Conquest, with a fierce battle taking place
there between conquistadors and natives during the Great
Rebellion of 1536.
The
fortress-temple of Sacsahuaman (meaning "satisfied falcon")
lies immediately above Cuzco and was primarily protected by
three massive terraced walls, rising over sixty feet and built
in a zig-zag fashion in order to break up attacking forces.
Within the terraced walls were three huge towers, the largest of
which had a rectangular base sixty-five feet long and rising up
five storeys. It could comfortably house over 5,000 soldiers and
was described by later Spanish historians as having "too many
rooms and towers for one person to visit them all".
Sacsahuaman was built as more than a military fortress - the
entire population of the unwalled city of Cuzco could have
retreated within it during times of war.
Modern-day Sacsahuaman is a poor comparison, with only a portion
of the defending outer walls and the foundations of the three
main towers remaining. The conquistadors deliberately destroyed
most of the fortress by 1560, though eyewitnesses before that
time claimed that it would have ranked as one of the wonders of
the world. One great stone remaining in the outer wall is 8.5
metres high and estimated to weigh over 360 tons.
|
