Sacsayhuamán is a citadel on the northern outskirts of Cusco.
Sections were first built by the Killke culture about 1100; they had occupied the area since 900.
The complex was expanded and added to by the Inca from the 13th century; they built dry stone walls constructed of huge stones
. The workers carefully cut the boulders to fit them together tightly without mortar.
The Incas laid out Cusco in the shape of a puma. Sacsayhuman was the head.
Only 10% of the fortress remains after the Spanish used the blocks for their own buildings in Cusco.
Tambomachay Tambomachay is nearby. It is an archaeological site associated with the Inca Empire It consists of a series of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls that run through the terraced rocks.
The function of the site is uncertain: it may have served as a military outpost guarding the approaches to Cusco,
as a spa resort for the Incan political elite or imperial baths.
It could have also served a religious function since sacred
water fountains were found at almost all of the major Incan temple sites.