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LA FORTALEZA DEL
SACCSAIHUAMAN.
-
.A.bout
a
kilometer 's' distanee from Cuzeo and rising to a height of 700 feet
above the >City is a mountain ealled Saec.sai.huamán, on which are
the fa.mous prehistoric forts of the same name, certainly made as
a means of defen-se in the meg.aJithic age, but improved and
uti'lized ·by the Emperor lnca lnca Yupanqui in tbe time of the In–
cas, accoroing to Garcilaso.
The visit should if po sible b made i1\ tl1e morning. There are
two roads lea.ding
t
t
for s ...,..- olle lea:dfog
ro:Ql the northern
eorner
-0f
the plaza
,p
sin
e Colegio de los
'pp,
a1esia.nos and
Sa11 Crist-01bal, and arrivin
hy
the we tern walts.
'J.'he otber by
ascending dir.ectly b
h
laza de la
1azarenas, Pumacurcu,
and entering on
t.h.
ide. The latter
i
more interesting,
even though
it
i not so well constructed and is steep, and somewhat
shorter; but there will 1be aeen to füe left of the road original
Incaic streets suc.h as those seen between PumaclH'cu and San
Cristobal. The journey can be made on foot or .by horse. Note at
the initi:al poilllt of the journey, aJter pa sing Ccolccampa1J.l. to
the left of the l'lOa·d, the manner in wbicb the
~treets
and aillCient
walls are construeted -
in an apparently C()IJtfus·ed manner. Upon
arriving at the fort, however, the visitor will be a:mazed at the
magnilficent eomtours.
The.reexis·ts no cJOnstruction in tbe world of
i~
kind tbat can
be compared, says Markham.
lt
is thie greaitest an.tique work
in
Amerioa, 1says Hiram Bingbam, the
1
di
1
coverer of Maichu Picchu.
Garci9alo
011
viewi·ng the sight stateu that it was so magni:fi.cent
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