Sites › South America › Sacsayhuamán and Ollantaytambo
Sacsayhuamán and Ollantaytambo
| Location | Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Peru |
|---|---|
| Conventional date | Inca, from the 15th century; earlier (Killke) occupation of the hill. |
| Alternative date proposals |
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| What is measured |
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Zig-zag terraces of huge polygonal blocks fitted without mortar above Cusco, and at Ollantaytambo a temple of pink rhyolite blocks hauled from a quarry across the valley.
Claims about this site
| Claim | Status | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| The megalithic walls of Sacsayhuamán and Ollantaytambo predate the Inca | Leading Edge | Open question |
Visiting: Cusco, Sacsayhuamán and the Sacred Valley
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- Sacsayhuamán & Cusco tours (search) GetYourGuide
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- Caral day trips from Lima (search) GetYourGuide
Sources
- Protzen, J.-P. (1985). Inca quarrying and stonecutting. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 44(2). doi:10.2307/990027 data
- Mar, R. et al. (2014). El conjunto arqueológico de Saqsaywaman (Cusco): una aproximación a su arquitectura. Revista Española de Antropología Americana 44(1). doi:10.5209/rev_reaa.2014.v44.n1.47633 data
- Agencia Andina: archaeologists investigate the early (pre-Inca) architecture at Sacsayhuamán. https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-cusco-arqueologos-investigan-constr… background
- Graham Hancock, official site (books including Fingerprints of the Gods, 1995, and America Before, 2019; proponent of a lost Ice Age civilisation). https://grahamhancock.com/ proponent
Dates are summarised in our own words from the sources listed. Conventional and alternative dates are both reported; "measured" lists only dated or documented findings. Methodology.