Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Peru Update

I've been to Sacsayhuaman. Didn't see these ruins, though.

Sacred ruins older than Incas found in Peru - Telegraph: "The ruins of a sacred temple have been uncovered that predates the Incas, say archaeologists.

Some of the structures hidden in a forest of eucalyptus trees predate the Inca empire but were then significantly developed and expanded, with a roadway and irrigation, says a team from Peru's National Institute of Culture.

Archaeologists were lucky to find the ruins at all, as part of the structure was destroyed by dynamite blasts in the early 20th century, when the site was used as a stone quarry.

The ruins lie in the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman, north of Cusco city, a 3,000 hectare site that is home to many Inca monuments, notably Sacsayhuaman ('satisfied hawk' in Quechua, the Inca language), Qenqo, a shrine on a hilltop where maize beer was stored for rituals, Puca Pucar, the 'red fortress', and Tambomachay, home of a water cult."

No comments: