In the warm, dry climate
of the Southern Sierra, about two hours by bus from Cuenca,
lies Ingapirca, roughly translated as "Inca Wall,"
and Ecuador's only major Inca ruins. Built during the
Inca expansion into Ecuador toward the end of the fifteenth
century, the site had been occupied by the people of the
early Canari civilization for more than 500 years. The
Incas, who conquered the Canaris, destroyed most of the
Canari structures, except for a burial site. They replaced
the structures with their own elaborate complex that probably
served as a fortress and place of worship, and also a
way-station on the Inca Royal Road to Quito.
Inca edifices with trapezoidal doorways and pillowed
stone blocks were built atop the Canari
walls. The centerpiece of the ruins is the Temple
of the Sun, where celebrations of the Inti Raymi (New
Year) festival took place. The mortar-less temple was
positioned so that the sun illuminated the altars on both
the eastern and western faces of the temple. The Temple
consists of a huge oval-shaped platform made of exquisitely
carved blocks of
stone, fitted together with amazing precision.
The remainder of the site consists primarily of low walls,
which were possibly storehouses or dwellings. The guides
(some English-speaking) explain various theories about
what stood where. A small museum inside displays Canari
and Inca pots, plus tools and jewelry found in the area,
and terraced gardens lie below the site.
Events/Holidays: The Inti Raymi celebrations take over
the ruins the third week in June.
