Another archaeological site on the Sacred Valley is the Q’enqo. The location is also a short drive from Sacsayhuaman. When driving towards Q’enqo, you may not notice the place because its location is right on a hillside.
Q’enqo is said to be one of the largest holy places in Cusco. It is also known to be the place for sacrifice and mummification.
Different from other temples, it is distinctly made from the natural rock formations. As per my guide, during the Spanish conquest, there is a massive destruction of Inca Temples and it includes Q’enqo. You can also see Q’enqo or Puma shrine from Koricancha.
What makes it interesting is, the monolith when hit by the sun during summer solstice, it produces shadow patterns. It is just amazing to hear the theories from what our guide shares to us, as the Inca religions are base on the natural phenomenon happening.
Inside the cave, there are three stairs. As per my guide, the three stairs are Inca symbols referring to the underworld, today’s world and the world above. It is truly interesting to know that everything you see at the temple has its own meaning and purpose. During the summer solstice, the sunlight enters the cave and shines directly on the stairs.
Inside the rock formation, there is a narrow passage or a small cave. The passage have a sacrificial altar and some places for mummification. My guide tells us that upon having archaeological diggings on the place, several bones of alpacas those are found.
We have a quick stop yet so much interesting theories are being shared to us. We go back to our van for another important archaeological site of the Incas.
Been here: August 12, 2015
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