The archaeological site of Pisac is located on a mountain formed by numerous neighborhoods and different squares among which is the Intihuatana, an enclosure with fine finishes typical of its Inca religious structure.
Pisac is an ancient toponymic that comes from the Quechua word “Pisaqa” referring to the partridge bird, a bird of the area that is related to spirituality and mysticism, later after colonization its name was changed to Pisac.
Pisac was built in the X – XI centuries during the expansion of the Inca empire.
It has an area of 4 kilometers and is made up of buildings that are grouped into several levels, where we can highlight the following distributions: the wall, aqueducts, water canals, gates, ceremonial centers, cemetery and terraces.
The groups of the archaeological site of Pisac are divided into the following sectors:
- Khantus Raqay
- K’alla Qhasa
- Qhosqa
- Wimimpampa
- Acchapata
- Patapata
- Taytamañaykuna
- Chakachimpa
TERRACES
- The terraces had an agricultural function and also a function in the containment of landslides.
INCA TOMBS (CEMETERY)
- The largest cemetery in South America is located here in Pisac which is called Tankanamarca are more than 1000 tombs, although according to studies by archaeologists could reach more than 10 000 tombs, which are on the side of the river Quitamayu on a slope, but most of these were already desecrated by gold diggers.
KALLAQHASA
- This sector or Inca neighborhood of the Inca citadel of Pisac is the one that has the largest extension and is located in the northern part, at the top of the mountain at 3512 meters above sea level.
- It has a number of 30 constructions of irregular outline and rustic finish, the material used is the stone of irregular shapes and also has areas with finish as those that were used in the sector of the Intihuatana.
THE WALL
- They are built sections that border the archaeological site of Pisac giving a wall style, a system of protection and control in the Inca period.
- This wall is composed of 5 access doors, in the archaeological site of Pisac we can find an access door with a lintel that is called Amaru Punku which means “door of the snakes” which has a trapezoidal shape, an access to religious sectors and passage of the Inca nobility.
TOWERS
The archaeological site of Pisac is composed of a number of 20 towers, even the main function of these towers is unknown, but they are classified in two ways:
- Conical shaped towers and they are associated to water channels.
- Atalaya towers in it the one that stands out the most is the place called Koriwayrachina.
TUNNELS
- In this archaeological site of Pisac we can find two tunnels that are excavated in the rock, one of them has an average length of 16 meters, while the other tunnel has a length of 3 meters.
PISAQA SECTOR (OLD NEIGHBORHOOD)
- In this neighborhood there are 23 buildings with different finishing techniques, in it we can find the technique of finishing “Pirka” which is a construction of stone on stone joined with mud mortar.
- This sector is complemented with platforms that are located in the lower part.
TIANAYOC
- This sector is of a small size with buildings distributed in relation to the central courtyard, in it is carved a stone in the form of a seat with backrest from here comes the name of Tianayoc which means place of seat.
INTIHUATANA SECTOR
- This is the most important site of this archaeological site of Pisac because in it are palaces, liturgical fountains and temples, a sector that comprises three levels and present a noble social class and worship of the Inca deities.
- The aqueducts of water in it is a set of fountains.
- The Intihuatana is an astronomical observatory which is carved with perfect finishes considered as the temple of the sun.
THE QOLQAS (WAREHOUSES)
- A main function of these warehouses whose purpose was to store agricultural products, food and seeds stored in warehouses that have mostly trails. The ruins of Pisac a term not very used, the best term is the archaeological site of Pisac.
