ECUADOR!
July 9 - 27, 2003
Cuenca & Ingapirca.
After our trip to the coast, we returned to Quito and took a plane to Cuenca.
Ancient Ingapirca.
It took about an hour and a half by taxi to get to Ingapirca. Cuenca is lower in elevation than Quito, and Ingapirca is considerably higher than Quito, so it was quite a climb for the car. But the roads were good, for the most part. We were told that there was a shorter route but the roads weren't very good, so the driver took the better roads.
Ingapirca was first constructed by the Cañari tribe. They occupied that region for hundreds of years before the Inca conquered them. It was on these grounds that the moon priestess lived, and is where they made the chicha that was so valued by their people. Chicha was used in their religious ceremonies as well as valued as an item for trade purposes. When the Inca came, they transformed the practices of the moon priestesses into those of the sun virgins. The Inca built over the top of the Cañari structures, and added aqueducts, roads, and fortress walls. You can see the difference in the stone work in some of the pictures. The rougher looking stone work is that of the Cañari and the more precisely cut and laid stonework is that of the Inca. The sun temple was built over the top of the previous temple. The entire fortress is built in the shape of a Puma. The Inca only occupied that area for 30 years before the Spaniards came and destroyed it all. Being able to not only view but to walk amongst these ancient stones was truly the highlight of the trip for me.
