- Písac
Písac is a
Peru vian village in theSacred Valley on theUrubamba River . The village is well-known for its market every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, an event which attracts heavy tourist traffic from nearbyCusco . One of its more notable features is a large "pisonay" tree which dominates the central plaza. [cite web | url = http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/destinations/cusco/pisac.html | title = Pisac Market and ruins | accessdate = 2006-03-21] The sanctuary of Huanca, home to a sacredshrine , is also near the village. Pilgrims travel to the shrine every September.The area is perhaps best known for its Incan ruins, known as Inca Písac, which lie atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. The ruins are separated along the ridge into four groups: "Pisaqa", "Intihuatana", "Q'allaqasa", and "Kinchiracay". [cite book | last = Box | first = Ben | coauthors = Alan Murphy | title = Footprint Peru Handbook | origdate = 2003-07-01 | id = ISBN 1903471516] "Intihuatana" includes a number of bathes and temples. The Temple of the Sun, a volcanic outcrop carved into a "hitching post" for the
Sun (orInti ), is the focus, and the angles of its base suggest that it served some astronomical function. "Q'allaqasa", which is built onto a natural spur and overlooks the valley, is known as thecitadel .cite book | last = Jenkins | first = Dilwyn | title = The Rough Guide to Peru | publisher = Rough Guides | origdate = 2003-10-06 | id = ISBN 1843530740]The hillside is lined with agricultural terraces constructed by the Inca and still in use today. These terraces were created by hauling richer topsoil from the lower lands by hand. They enabled them to produce surplus food more than would normally be possible at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet. [ Readers Digest: "Mysteries of the Ancient Americas" The New World Before Columbus ] With military, religious, and agricultural structures, the site served at least a triple purpose. Besides a country estate, it is thought that Písac defended the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley, while
Choquequirao defended the western entrance and the fortress atOllantaytambo the northern.The narrow rows of terraces beneath the citadel are thought to represent the wing of a
partridge ("pisaca"), from which the village and ruins get their name. The birds are also common in the area at dusk.References
External links
* [http://jqjacobs.net/andes/pisaq.html Pisaq Inca Ruins, a Photo Gallery]
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