Sacsayhuaman, Peru
Sacsayhuaman, Peru [Si].Inca ceremonial centre and fortress situated on a hill on the outskirts of modern Cuzco. Set out some time after AD 1438 in the shape of a puma's head, the site was originally planned as a Temple of the Sun to stand at the head of a site which would have extended over what is now Cuzco.
A round tower was built on the top of the hill, and three parallel zig-zag walls of cut and fitted polygonal stones run along the northern side of the hill creating terraces 550m long. In the interior there were also storage structures and dwellings, a reservoir, and a water supply system. The site was used as a fortress against the Spanish in the 16th century ad, but after the conquest the round tower was demolished.[Rep.: V. R. Lee, 1987, The building of Sacsayhuaman. Berkeley CA: Institute of Andean Studies]
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