Last weekend, the Spring Semester CEDEI group traveled to Ingapirca, the site of the largest known Incan ruins in Ecuador. The Temple of the Sun, though a sizable chunk of it has fallen down, is the main attraction here. The temple was constructed so that on solstices, the sun would shine through the door at a certain time of day. How people who lived thousands of years ago figured that out I have no idea. I can barely figure out North, East, South and West without a compass.
The site was the home of the Cañari people, an indigenous group, before the Incas took over. They stayed for a few decades, but not long enough to build something as grand as Machu Picchu in Peru. However, while occupying the Cañari's land, the Incas and the Cañaris lived together amicably. The architecture of the site is also similar to Machu Picchu -- though less of it is made with stones carved to fit together exactly than Machu Picchu is. Ingapirca is also in only naturally ovular valleys in Ecuador (or the world?), which was significant to the people back then. It's sort of hard to tell that it is ovular, but it still looks cool.
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AuthorKate Hiller is a wannabe world traveler studying journalism and Spanish at Ohio University. This blog is about her experiences living abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador for a semester. (Spring 2014) Archives
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