While wandering around the ancient Inca citadel of Sacsayhuaman perched on the mountain high above Cusco this afternoon, I happened to look over and see what looked like a stone-lined circular depression in a remote corner of the site hidden behind a huge rock.
I’d never even heard of such a place and, though I’d been near a number of times, I had never bother to check behind the large, carved stones that hid a very unique site behind.
Okay, maybe I exaggerated in calling it a jacuzzi. Alright, I admit I made that part up. Sue me.
But, if there were water jets poking out of the surrounding stone walls, it would have been right at home next to the pool at your local Holiday Inn right down to the stone steps leading into the pool itself.
This wonderful little area obviously was of considerable importance based on the bath itself in a secluded spot and the intricate water channel that brought water, but it’s true purpose is likely unknown.
I did a good bit of research among published scholarly papers and articles, but couldn’t find any information about this place.
I’ve never seen anything quite like it in my explorations or my readings. I wouldn’t even be sure it is a bath or pool except for the steps leading down into it. It certainly seems like a spot deliberately chosen for seclusion.
Maybe it was a place where the Inca Emperor was ritually cleaned before ceremonial events in Sacsayhuaman. Or maybe it was a secluded place where he could go and relax away from the hectic life of the leader of the greatest pre-Colombian civilization. Perhaps it was even a little hideaway for he and the queen or one of his concubines…
Today’s little discovery was just one more in the long list of really cool places that are basically unknown to not only tourists, but many locals, too. I’m always amazed at the incredible places I find when I get “off the beaten track”.
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