Religious Tensions in Peru - Saqsayhuaman - August 23rd, 2013

      Saqsayhuaman, here was a site that had been torn apart for the building of cathedrals and the fighting of the Incas after the conquest of Cuzco. It was here the Inca resisted for a month before all the underground tunnels were finally discovered by the Spanish. In a way it became a symbol of resistance. Like most of the other places we'd been to this place also had religion signifigant to the Inca. The first was the "Giant Head" of the Ancestor. It looked like it had one eye and represented wisdom and the masters who had come before. It was really cool. On the sides were carved chairs in which the priests could sit.

   After Puma told us this about the place we played a quick game of hide and seek (the area is huge) before making our way to the area that once an artificial lake. To get there we had to pass through the darkest cave I have ever gone through.

    After leaving the cave and entering the bright day once more it felt amazing. It was waking up almost since the darkness had been so confining. It was a pretty neat experience.

    Once we got the artificial lake we walked over it to the main area. In the main area there were llamas grazing and a volcanic altar across from the terraces where the llamas were eating. The area was huge and it was here we learned about all the stones that had been taken from the site to build the cathedrals. It was interesting how the old religion became building blocks for the new here and how even those buildings in the context of colonialism could not destroy the amazingness of the site. As much as has been lost, all the more remains strong and expansive.

     It was here Puma told us the story of how Pope John Paul II had come here and given a speech and placed a cross on the site that had been struck by lightning later on due to metal below the surface. He also talked about how the cross had angered the elders who saw it infringing upon a place sacred to them and their ancestors.

     As part of Saqsayhuaman a large White Jesus Christ was built. By Rebi, Puma and others it has been nicknamed "The Sexy Women" another name for the site. It is beautiful, which is where I think the name might come from. The Jesus and the history of this site show the tension that very much still exists between Christianity and the native religions in the area...and given the history, it understandably will probably never fully go away.