Pisac Q'allaqasa

 As we walked up the mountain side up to the ancient city of Pisac, one could see how large the agricultural terraces were made to be. They were huge steps carved into the mountainside that could support the harvesting of large amounts of crops. The steps stretched from the very bottom of the mountain to the very top, with jutting rocks acting as stairs to support the ascent or descent of any farmer tending to the terraces. The mountain that held the city contained multiple terraces, all with the intention of offering structural stability to the city at the top or for farming crops like corn or potatoes. 

Nearing the top of the mountain, we began to see the stone buildings that were the center of the citadel. There were few other areas where a group of buildings were clustered on the mountainside, but the top seemed to be the center of the ancient city. Walking through the ancient ruins, one could tell how elaborate each structure or room of a building was intended to be. They each served their intended function. A large, naturally-occuring, unsculpted rock that jutted out of the ground was at the approximate center of the buildings. It had carvings at its base that resembled that of a seat, which were actually used as placeholders for offerings, likely for success on the season’s harvest or for other expressions of gratitude towards the earth, or Pachamama. From the top, the view was pretty incredible. One could look into the modern town of Pisac from above, and the valley that encased the small city stretched into the distance. To the other side, large mountains surrounded us, with the valley extending as flat ground or hills in each direction. It was super serene and we all took some time to take the scene in. 

As we began our descent, we saw other features of the ancient city, such as small buildings for food storage. These buildings hugged the steep mountainside, and seemed almost impossible to get to considering the angle of the terrain. We also observed more terraces facing the city, with the descending trail offering more views of the terraced mountain-side. Comparing the ancient Pisac at the top of the mountain to its Spanish counterpart at its base was interesting, since they were obviously so different. How easy was it for the Spaniards to conquer the Incan stronghold, if so difficult to access? Also, how did the Spaniards make any use of the ancient city or its terraces, if at all?