The Fortress of Pisac

Moroni “had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort…and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land…and in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men; and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land which was possessed by the Nephites” (Alma 48:8-9).

Situated above Pisac in the Sacred Valley on the Urubamba River sits the ancient ruins of four distinct sites, guarded by the Q’Allaqasa fortress, which served as a defensive military post at the south end of the Sacred Valley.  The three sites it guarded, along with the valley below, were Pisaqa, Intihuatana, and Kinchiracay. Also evident still are the agricultural terraces and some of the numerous buildings.  

The ruins of the fortress of Pisac, which served as a line of defense, and also a place of worship and in important agricultural site

Once viewing the site, an appreciation of the engineering skills of the builders is immediately understood. Overlooking the Urubamba Valley, the ruins of the fortress at Pisac are among the most interesting in Peru. Today, historians and archaeologists believe that Pisac was a compound that served mainly as a line of defense against those who held lands beyond Cusco.

The military garrison of Q’Anchisracay, that overlooked the entire complex and the approaches through the valley below

The Pisac complex is made up of several different areas. Outside of the walled complex is Q’Anchisracay, a small compound of rough stone buildings. This area probably served as a military garrison and may have housed local villagers in case of attack. There are also some ruins of aqueducts. The area might have been home to farmers who worked the lower terraces.

The magnificent view from the fortress high above the valley below. One can see for miles up the Sacred Valley at anyone approaching

The Pisac ruins can be reached by climbing the hill to the mountaintop, where there is a magnificent view of the valley. The ruins are known for its small, intricately placed stones that fit perfectly together, rivaling the work of Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, Ollantaytambo and other ancient pre-Inca sites.

Pisac ruins are about a two hour climb from the valley, and besides the valley below, offer a commanding view of the Rio Kitamayo gorge to the west and to the east the Rio Chongo Valley. Also, the complex is famous for its intricate agricultural terraces that wrap around the mountain and joined by stairs and footpaths at the edge of mountain cliffs. At the top is a stone doorway that leads to stone stairs and finally a tunnel carved out of rock to access the complex. There are several working water channels and incredibly intricate stonework in the structures, including tombs, ceremonial baths, and the famed terraces, which lined the entire hillside, some of which are still in use today, and were created through hauling by hand richer topsoil from the lower lands below.

The terraces at Pisac, which are a perfect illustration of harnessing the river and nature for an intricate agricultural system, at which the ancient Peruvians were well adept

Pisac is located on the long crest of a 9800-foot high mountain overlooking the southern end of the Urubamba, or Sacred. The fortress controlled a route which connected the western Andean lands with the border of the rain forest. According to Kim MacQuarrie, Pachacuti erected a number of royal estates after he conquered other ethnic groups to remember the victories. Among these royal estates are Pisac (victory over the Cuyos), Ollantaytambo (victory over the Tambos) and Machu Picchu (conquest of the Vilcabamba Valley). Other historians suggest that Pisac was established in order to protect Cusco from possible attacks of the Antis nations.

Archaeologists do not know when Pisac was built, though they have not found any pre-Inca evidence, thus it is believed to have been built by the Inca; however, while most historians and anthropologists love to call everything Inca, perhaps because of Garcilaso de la Vega (El Inca) the half Spaniard, half Inca, who wrote to aggrandize the Inca heritage. However, the Inca never showed any inclination at such precise and magnificent stonework. Where specific stonework has been shown to have been added to ancient work and definitely attributed to the Inca, it is easy to see that their ability was far lacking. An example of Inca repairs is shown below:

Both images show that where some of the ancient stones had fallen, the Inca repairs show a poor engineering and construction ability, and an obvious lack of interest in matching the previous work