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Taken in Cusco, Peru. © 2013 All Rights Reserved.
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The Incas laid out ancient Qosqo in the shape of a puma, lying down. The puma, an animal which has adapted both to rainforest jungles and to mountain highlands, symbolized "strength" and "wisdom" to the Inca. The puma was also the animal "illa", or symbol, which represented this current earthly world.
Qorikancha, the Inca's most sacred site in Qosqo, was sited in the location of the puma's genitals and, of course, symbolized fertility. The Inca buildings at Qorikancha and images there were all plated with gold and gold leaf, which to the Inca symbolized the sun and its fertility. The Spaniards, of course, saw the gold differently, and they plundered it and melted it down. Ironically gold encrusts the altars of the Roman Catholic church now standing on the site.
Our guide, Juan Carlos, gave us a wonderful tour of the Inca sites around Cusco. Saqsaywaman stands at the crown of the puma's head. The Spaniards buried it under tons of earth. Today it is being excavated by archeologists. We were not allowed on top but walked along the lower terraces.
The Plaza de Armas, the center of modern Cusco, stands at the site of the puma's belly or stomach.
From my notes made at the time.