Carved by the Urubamba River, a huge Valley stretches out in the middle of the Peruvian highlands, in the Andes. Over the ages inhabited by huge empires and greedy invaders, the mysticism of the Cusco Region still manages to grasp many tourists. As the mind-blowing home to the Inca civilization, the Cusco Region is high on the list of many travelers and backpackers. Not only because of the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu. Incredible panoramic sceneries and tons of ancient Inca sites and ruins. Add to this the spiritual retreat centers and rural jungle and mountain farmers. It is no wonder so many different types of travelers find their way to Cusco. Discover here what all the hype is about.

On top of the hill looking over Cusco city, at a height of 3700 meters above sea level, lies Sacsayhuaman. The remains, which translate as ‘Royal Eagle’, are what can be described as both fortress and temple. Many consider this one of the greatest builds man has ever made. Huge boulders perfectly shaped and aligned so not a hair can get in between. Those giants are spread over more than 3000 hectares with a stone volume of over 6000 cubic meters. What the Inca called ‘temple of the sun’ is in historic texts described as a marvelous maze filled with all kinds of weapons and military objects. Seemingly “impossible to have been built by human hands”.

Sacsayhuaman was of great importance to the Inca empire. The central plaza could hold thousands of people during rituals and ceremonial activities. Also, its location proved of great importance for holding control over the city. This was shown during the siege by Manco Inco on Cusco in 1536.

Today the location still serves a purpose for Inca inspired rituals. A lot of people use the area of Sacsayhuaman for working out, running, or Tai Chi. It is only 2km away from the main plaza of Cusco which makes it a convenient hotspot for leisure. Sacsayhuaman is by far the most important Inca ruin to be found within the city of Cusco in the Sacred Valley.