Many have probably heard more than once about the Inca Empire, which once existed in South America and which fell victim to the greed of the Spanish conquistadors. We will look at the history of the Inca civilization itself a little later, but for now let’s get acquainted with the religion of the Inca Empire. So, what did the ancient Incas believe in and what religious rituals did they perform?
The deification of the Sun is a phenomenon widespread in many parts of the globe, but the Incas surpassed all tribes and peoples in this, calling themselves “sons of the Sun.” The image of the luminary in the form of a golden disk with a human face served as an object of official cult. The name of the Sun is also associated with the two most famous legends about the founding of the Inca Empire.
Once upon a time, a couple (they are also brother and sister) Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo came out of Lake Titicaca. From their father the Sun they received a magical golden rod. This rod was supposed to show them where to found a city, which was subsequently destined to become the capital of a great power. Their search was long and difficult. The rod did not react to either the mountains or the valleys, but one fine day near the Uanankaure hill it suddenly sank into the ground. This is how the capital of the Inca Empire arose - the city of Cusco (which means “navel” or “heart”), and Manco Capac erected the Quelkcampata palace, the ruins of which can still be seen today. Another legend tells how four pairs of men and women emerged from a cave that had four windows. The men were Ayar brothers. They all decided to follow the Sun. The difficulties of the unknown path did not frighten them, nor did the battles with warlike tribes encountered along the way. However, after the next battle, only Ayar Manco and his wife Mama Oclyo survived; the rest either died or turned to stone. This single couple reached Cuzco and founded an empire there.
Lake Titicaca is directly related to the birth of the Sun. The Aymara Indians, who lived in the vicinity of this lake since ancient times, believed that the creator god Viracocha (or Tonapa) appeared on earth from the temples of the lake and created the Sun and other celestial bodies. Viracocha is a mysterious “white” god - tall, strong, dressed all in white. He is decisive and omnipotent. When this god first appeared in the Andes, people greeted him with great hostility, and he even had to call fire from the sky and “set the mountain on fire” (hence, apparently, the name Viracocha - Lava Lake) in order to be recognized as a god. It is no coincidence that the Viracocha temple was located at the foot of an extinct volcano, in the Uilcamayo Valley.
Throughout the vast Inca empire, the Sun was known by various names, the most common and popular of which was Inpgi. In some areas of the empire, Viracocha and Inti were perceived as the same deity.
Inca Pantheon
The fire god Pachacamac was also highly revered, who revived everything that was created and then died for one reason or another. Among the main Incan gods are Chaska (Venus), Chucuilla (goddess of lightning), Ilyana (god of thunder), Pachamama (goddess of fertility), Quilla (goddess of the Moon, sister and wife of the Sun, patroness of married women) and Kon (god of noise). Some gods were triliks. Thus, the god of thunder had three hypostases: “spear of light” - lightning, “ray of light” - thunder and the Milky Way.
In Inca mythology there was also an image of the devil - the personification of everything that was despised by the Incas. The devil (Supai) tried to resist the gods in everything and sought to cause as much harm to people as possible. And of course, he interfered with the fulfillment of the main covenants by which the Incas lived: “ama sua” - “do not steal”, “ama lyulya” - “do not be lazy” and “ama kelya” - “do not lie.” But what could even the most sophisticated devil do against such a great god as the Inti-Sun!
The Incas deified animals, birds, plants, and worshiped some reptiles and amphibians. The sacred animals included the fox, bear, puma, condor, dove, falcon, snake, toads, etc.
The Supreme Inca (emperor) was recognized as a descendant of the Sun and a mediator between the divine and human worlds. He was considered immortal. And even if the Supreme Inca died, the Incas believed that he continued to influence people's lives. It is noteworthy that in addition to wives and children, the imperial family officially included the High Priest (Vilyak Umu). This emphasized the divine origin of the latter.
Like the priests of the famous Delphic oracle, the priests of the largest Inca temples played a huge role not only in the economic, but also in the political life of the “empire”. Often it was they who determined the next “emperor.”
The priesthood was numerous and divided into several categories. A special group was made up of alkas - “virgins of the Sun”, who lived in special temples - alkau-asis. They were recruited from the clan (family) of the Supreme Inca from the age of nine. They became guardians of the solar fire, and, in addition, their duties included sewing clothes for the Inca and his entourage, preparing food and drinks for the imperial family on holidays.
Incan ideas about the universe
According to the Incas, the universe - pacha - was created by the Supreme Creator of all things from water, earth and fire. It consisted of three worlds: the upper world (hanan pacha), where the heavenly gods lived; the inner world (uku pacha), where people, animals and plants lived; and the lower world (huRin pacha) - the kingdom of the dead, living in the underworld (underworld) and those who were about to be born. The symbolic connection between these three worlds was carried out by two giant snakes. In the lower world they lived in water. Crawling into the inner world, one snake, moving vertically, took the form of a huge tree - from the ground to the sky, the other became the Ucayali River. In the upper world, one turned into a rainbow (Koiche), the other became lightning (Ilyapu). The lower world, according to some myths, was also considered the place of human origin. Many myths tell that all people came into the world from the womb of mother earth Pachamama or Mama Pacha (Mistress of the World), one of the main female deities, - from lakes, springs, caves.
Unlike other Indian religions and cultures, the Incas did not have the concept of periodic renewal of the world, although they believed that the flood, having destroyed one generation of people - wild people, prepared the way for the emergence of another generation - warriors.
Religious holidays of the Incas
The Incas celebrated several religious holidays throughout the year. The so-called Inti Raymi was especially solemn, when they celebrated their most important god, the Sun, on a grand scale. On the day of the Inti Raymi holiday, the sun's rays were collected by a concave mirror, and with its help the sacred fire was lit. The holiday ended with a large meal and wine libations for several (usually eight) days. In general, all the Inca holidays were painted in sunny tones.
In September, the harvest festival of Situa was celebrated, when Luna and Coya, the main of the many wives of the Supreme Inca, were honored. These were days of a kind of purification. The streets and houses were washed until they shined, crowds of people with idols and mummies (dried corpses) of their ancestors gathered near the temples and begged the gods to deliver them from all diseases, from all misfortunes caused by the earth, wind, and rainbow. They asked for help not only for them, but also for plants and llamas (the llama is the main economic animal of the Incas). This holiday was accompanied by noisy fun, because it was the screams of those gathered that were supposed to frighten the diseases and help the gods drive them out forever.
Religious ideas and holidays of the Incas were reflected in the names of the months: Capac Raymi - the holiday of the emperor (December); Koya Raymi - the holiday of the Empress (September), etc. Very unusual, at least from a modern point of view, was Aya Sharkai Kilya - the month of removing the dead from their graves (November). During these days, the remains of the dead were brought to the surface. They were dressed in the best clothes, their skulls were decorated with feathers and, along with the food and drinks intended for them, they were displayed in the most public places. Songs were sung everywhere and ritual dances were performed, as the Incas believed that their ancestors were dancing and singing with them. Then the remains were placed on a special stretcher and walked with them from house to house along all the streets and squares of the city. At the end of these ritual celebrations, before the dead were interred again, gold and silver dishes with food were placed in the burials of the noble dead, and more modest dishes were placed in the graves of the common people.
Inca sacrifices to the gods
The religious beliefs of the Incas were largely devoid of the chilling cruelty inherent in the Aztecs and Mayans. The most common gifts offered to the ancestors and gods were corn, cornmeal, coca leaves, guinea pigs and llamas. However, on the days of celebrating the last month of the year and the first month of the new year (December), when it was necessary to especially sincerely thank Inti (Sun) for everything that he had already done for the Incas, and to earn his favor for the future, the Incas not only brought him gifts gold and silver jewelry, but also resorted to human sacrifices. For this purpose, 500 virgin boys and girls were selected annually and buried alive at the climax of the holiday.
The Incas believed that after death each person would have his own destiny: the virtuous would end up with the Sun in the sky, where abundance and life awaited them, practically no different from earthly life. Sinners will fall underground, into the underworld, where it is hungry, cold and there is nothing but stones. And those young people who have the high honor of sacrificing themselves to the Sun for the well-being of everyone naturally belong to the most virtuous. Having protected their fellow tribesmen from all evil, they go straight to the kingdom of the Sun. The cult of ancestors was no less important for the Incas. The custom of mummification of dead nobility was associated with it. Crypts were carved into the rocks, in which mummies were buried in rich clothes and expensive jewelry. The cult of mummies of rulers was especially developed. Their mummies were placed in temples and taken out for ceremonial processions during major holidays. There is evidence that because of the supernatural power attributed to them, they were even taken on campaigns and carried to the battlefields.
Inca Temples
The Incas became famous for the beauty and majesty of their temples. The capital of the Incas, the city of Cusco, was also the main religious center of the empire. On Joy Square there was a whole complex of shrines and temples. The most majestic among them was the Temple of the Sun - Koricancha. Its walls are lined from top to bottom with gold plates, but not only for the sake of beauty. Among the Incas, gold is a symbol of the Sun, and silver is a symbol of the Moon.
Czech scientist Miloslav Stingl describes this temple as follows: “Inside the temple there was an altar with a huge image of the solar disk, from which golden rays emanated in all directions. To further increase the splendor of this divine temple, large gates were made in its eastern and western walls, through which the sun's rays penetrated into the shrine, causing the massive golden disk of the altar to flash with thousands of lights...
In addition to the huge image of the Sun, in the national shrine of Qorikanche... the mummies of deceased rulers were revered. They were placed along the walls of the temple. They sat here just as they once sat on majestic thrones.”
The Coricancha Temple and the Santo Domingo Monastery became a symbol of the clash between the ancient Andean culture and European civilization. Coricancha was the most important sanctuary of the Sun God during the Inca Empire, on the walls of which Spanish colonists built the Monastery of Santo Domingo.
Myths and facts
Qorikancha literally translates as “Golden Temple”. Initially it was called Inti kancha - “temple of Inti” - the sun god, the main deity of the Inca pantheon. Accounts of the Spanish conquistadors tell of an "incredibly fabulous" glittering palace covered entirely in gold leaf, with countless life-size gold and silver statues of plants and animals in the courtyard. In addition to hundreds of golden panels and figures, in the center was an altar in the shape of a huge golden disk. During the summer solstice, the disk reflected sunlight, illuminating the niche of the temple where the Inca leader sat. 
The luxurious palace was the most important Inca temple, built in 1438. About 4,000 priests once lived within its boundaries. Coricancha also served as the main astronomical observatory. There were other Inca temples dedicated to the gods of nature: the moon, Venus, thunder, lightning and rainbows.
The Incas had to give up most of the Coricancha wealth as ransom for their captives during the Spanish conquest. But the sacred gold was paid in vain. Afterwards, the Spaniards still plundered the temple and tore off the remaining jewelry, and founded the monastery of Santo Domingo (St. Dominic) on the skillfully laid stone walls of the sanctuary. A major earthquake in Peru in 1950 severely damaged the monastery and exposed some fragments of the Inca temple, built from huge, tightly fitted stone blocks, which still stand intact thanks to the peculiarities of the complex masonry.
What to see
The baroque church of the Monastery of Santo Domingo pales next to the exquisite craftsmanship of the Inca stonework that is the main attraction of this complex. During the major reconstruction of both buildings after the earthquake, a significant part of the monastery was removed, revealing the four original halls of the temple.
The earthquake-resistant masonry, trapezoidal doorways, curved retaining wall, and exquisite carvings are a clear example of the Inca's engineering and artistic skills. Stand on the small platform in the first room to see the precise symmetry of the holes in the stone slabs that fit together perfectly.
Near Santo Domingo there is an underground archaeological museum that houses surviving mummies, textiles and statues of sacred idols found during excavations. 
The temple of Coricancha (“golden temple”), in the time of the Incas was called Inticancha, i.e. "Temple of the Sun" The Coricancha Temple was the main temple of the Supreme Inca. Built in 1438, it was destroyed by the conquistadors. Currently, all that remains of the temple is the stone foundation on which the Spaniards erected the Church of Santo Domingo. Initially, the walls of the Korikancha temple were covered with seven hundred gold plates, weighing two kilograms each, and within the temple fence there was a golden garden in which golden llamas grazed and a field of golden corn grew.
They say that everything in it was made of gold and silver: fields of corn, fruit trees, animals, fabulous birds, lizards and snakes. Golden butterflies hung on thin golden threads, and the walls were entwined with golden vines. And all this was done in life-size, causing admiration and delighting the eyes of visitors, generating rumors about the fabulous splendor of Coricancha.
The Koricancha Temple had a golden altar and the Golden Disk of the Sun God Inti. It is believed that the Indians voluntarily gave some of the decorations of the temple to the Spaniards as a ransom for the Supreme Inca Atahualpa. But most of the ritual gold of the Sun God Inti, according to legend, was hidden by the Incas in the caves of the Vilcabamba mountain range, between the Apurimac and Urubamba rivers, where it was taken by caravans of laden lamas. The greatness and glory of the Coricancha Temple in the Inca Empire was so great that people living in the most remote corners of the empire sought to get to Cusco just to visit the Coricancha Temple.
The Coricancha Temple was the most important shrine of the Incas, and was created specifically for the Sun God Inti. Covered with sheets of pure gold, Coricancha shone in the sun and was visible from a great distance. And yet, the most amazing thing about it was not the gold, but the stonework that the builders used to connect the polygonal blocks. It was this that allowed all Inca structures to withstand the most destructive earthquakes. At the same time, the Cathedral of St. Domingo, erected on Incan masonry, was destroyed twice and had to be rebuilt.
And the Inca masonry easily and without damage withstood all the earthquakes. The masonry really seems incredibly complicated. There are 12 corners and sides on the corner blocks in one plane. It is impossible to insert even a safety razor blade into the gaps at the joints of the blocks. Which modern builder can repeat this? It remains a mystery how these huge blocks were delivered from distant quarries.
The Supreme Incas elevated the cult of the Sun God Inti to the rank of state policy, on a par with Viracocha, declaring themselves “sons of the Sun.”
Cusco was the capital of the great Inca Empire for 200 years, but excavations show that people lived in this area as early as 3,000 years ago.
The Incas divided the territory of their empireTahuantisuyu (in Quechua) Tawantin Suyu, Tawantinsuyu , Tawantinsuyu, Tawantinsuyu, means “four cardinal directions connected together”)into 4 parts, in the center of which was their capital - Cusco. They did not know other countries, did not sail overseas, their land for them represented the whole world, and Cuzco was the center of this world. This explains one of the versions of the meaning of the city’s name, which can be translated from Quechua as “Center of the World, Navel of the Earth.” According to another version, the name of the city is translated as “Place of Ashes” - that is, the place where ritual sacrifices are performed. It was in Cusco during the time of the Incas that all the main temples were located and the most significant religious ceremonies also took place here.
How the Spanish conquistadors saw Cusco when they arrived here in 1533
It was a prosperous city with magnificent temples, squares and rich houses of members of the royal family, close associates and other nobility. The Saphi River crossed the central square and divided the city into 2 parts: Upper (Hanan) and Lower (Urin) Cusco. The layout of Cusco repeated the silhouette of one of the sacred animals - the puma. The head of the puma was the Saqsaywaman district, located above the level of the rest of the city.
Having settled in Cusco, the conquerors changed the appearance of the city, turning Inca buildings into their mansions. Spanish houses were built on the foundations of previous buildings; the conquistadors took stones for their temples by dismantling the masonry of Inca buildings. In Cusco, a unique “mestizo” style was formed - a mixture of Andean and Spanish motifs - which we can observe today not only in architecture, but also in culture as a whole.
History of Cusco
According to Inca legend, the founder of the city was the first Inca Manko Qhapaq. According to one version, he left Lake Titicaca with his wife named Mama Oilya and went north to look for a place where his golden staff would easily enter the ground. Where he stuck the staff, the city of Cusco appeared.According to another versionfour brothers and their four sister-wivesappeared from a cave on one of the islands of Lake Titicaca. One of the brothers was Manco Capac, who founded Cuzco and began the Inca Empire.
The history of the Great Empire of Tahuantisuyu began in Cuzco, and here it ended. This happened in 1572, when the Spanish conquistadors beheaded the last representative of the Inca rulers, Inca Thupaq Amaru, in the main square of the city.
TOP 11 attractions of Cusco - what to see in the city and surrounding Cusco
Cusco is the main tourist city of Peru. It is from here that the most famous and interesting ones begin, from here it starts, and much more.
In addition, there are a lot of interesting museums in Cusco.
1. Museum of the Incas (Museo Inca)
This museum is also called the Archaeological Museum of Cusco, as it houses artifacts that trace the history of Peru from the pre-Incan civilizations, the Great Empire and the colonial period.
The building in which the museum is located was built on the site of an Inca palace at the beginning of the 17th century and belonged to Admiral Francisco Aldrete Maldonado.
The museum is open daily.
Museum address: 103 Cuesta del Almirante, Cusco, Peru
2. Qoricancha Temple
During the time of the Incas, the Coricancha (Quechua for “Golden Fence”) was the richest temple. It was built in honor of the Sun God Inti, so its walls were lined with gold plates inlaid with precious stones. It was here that the mummies of noble Incas were kept and used during religious ceremonies.After the conquest, the Spanish built the Church of Santo Domingo on the ruins of the Temple of the Sun, but fortunately, some parts of the original temple have survived and can still be seen today.
The museum is open daily.
Museum address: Plaza Intipampa (between Av.El Sol and Calle Santo Domingo), Cusco, Peru
3. Coca Museum (Museo de la Coca)
Coca leaves were of great importance during the Inca Empire and continue to be an important element of Andean culture today. In this museum you can learn the history and meaning of coca, its uses and much more.
Museum address: Calle Suytuccatu 705, San Blas, Cusco, Peru
4. Cusco Planetarium
The altitude of 3350 meters above sea level, at which Cusco is located, brings this city closer to the sky and the Gods. The stars played a huge role in the development of all great civilizations, and the Incan Empire was no exception.“Planetarium” is a company that organizes evening excursions to a place where you can watch the stars. They will tell you about the astronomy of the Incas, the most important constellations for them, how the life of the inhabitants was connected with the movement of the stars, etc.
Tours run daily, but advance reservations are required.
Planetarium website:http://www.planetariumcusco.com/
5. Chocolate Museum (Choco Museo)
Peru is a producer and exporter of cocoa beans. In 2010, at the main chocolate exhibition in Paris (Salon du Chocolat), cocoa beans from Peru were recognized as the most aromatic and received a prize.
At the Chocolate Museum in Cusco, everyone will be told about the chocolate production process and offered to taste chocolate bars and hot chocolate. The museum conducts master classes on making chocolate and organizes trips to cocoa plantations.
Museum website: http://www.chocomuseo.com/english/our-locations/cusco-per/
6. Central Market of San Pedro (Mercado Central de San Pedro)
This market is definitely worth a visit! Here you can spend the whole day wandering between stalls with imaginable and unimaginable goods: souvenirs, alpaca sweaters, colored scarves, fresh fruits and vegetables, dozens of types of corn and potatoes, coffee, chocolate, cheese, bread, coca leaves weighed out of huge bags , ingredients for traditional medicine - frogs that increase potency and various dried insects. And if the walk tires you, you can refresh your strength with juice, which will be squeezed right in front of you. Locals also come to San Pedro for lunch: traditional Peruvian dishes are prepared here and are quite inexpensive.
The market opens at 5.30 am and runs until 5.30 pm.
Neighborhoods of Cusco
7. Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman (Saqsaywaman, Sacsayhuaman)
The ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Quenco, Tambomachay and Puca Pucara make up the Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park.
Sacsayuman, located on a mountain above the main areas of Cusco, was part of the city during Inca times. And while Cuzco itself was designed in the shape of a puma silhouette, Sacsayuman served as the head of the puma. Various sources disagree about the purpose of this area. For many years it was believed that there was a military fortification here. But modern researchers adhere to the version that it was a residential area with rich houses of the nobility, temples and squares where religious ceremonies were held.
Even though the Spaniards dismantled the buildings and took stones to build their churches, the ruins of this area are still amazing today! The walls are 6-9 meters high, consisting of stone blocks that fit perfectly together, each of which weighs from 128 to 200 tons! It is believed that about 20,000 people were involved in the construction of this architectural complex.
It is here that the Inti Raymi holiday, a festival dedicated to the Sun God, is celebrated annually on June 24th.
Kenko (Kenko, Quenco, Q"inqu)
Located 3 km from Cusco towards the Sacred Valley. In the Quechua language, the name of this place means “serpentine, winding” - perhaps this name is associated with the serpentine water channels. Made in the form of an amphitheater, Kenko could have been both an altar and a tribune - the exact purpose is unknown. Here, as in a number of other sacred places, there is an observatory for observing the stars and tracking the equinox.
Tambomachay
The name Tambomachay means “resting place” in the Quechua language. A “water resort” was built for the Supreme Inca 5-6 kilometers from Cusco. Tambomachay was dedicated to the cult of water; magnificent canals, aqueducts, and cascades were created here. Excellent engineering skills allowed the builders to create 2 cascades, from which water flows at the same speed - if you put 2 bottles under them, they will fill at the same time.
8. Statue of Christ (Cristo Blanco)
The statue of Christ is installed on a hill above Cusco, near Sacsayhuaman. It was given to Cusco in 1945 by the Palestinians as a sign of gratitude for the fact that Cusco served as a refuge for them during World War II.
9.
The name Tipon is a corruption of the Quechua word T’impuy, which means “where the water boils.” The place was named so due to the large number of underground springs.Researchers believe that the construction was completed during the reign of the Inca Viracocha, but judging by the architectural style and characteristics of the buildings, Tipon is closer to the period of the Inca Pachacutec.
Tipon was an agricultural research center. The geometric correctness in the construction of the terraces is striking. Excellent irrigation canals are still in operation, and this is a significant achievement of the Incas - even modern Peruvians do not know how to solve water problems so well.
Between harvests, festive ceremonies took place on the terraces.
10.
About 30 kilometers southeast of Cusco are the ruins of Pikilyakta. The name of the city is translated from the Quechua language as “city of fleas.” Most likely, the name is a humorous metaphor for the relatively small size of this place - "a tiny (flea-sized) city." However, Pikilyakta was a very important cultural and administrative center of the pre-Inca Wari culture in the 6th - 9th centuries AD.
Built in the shadow of the Andes mountain range, the golden temple of the city of Cusco was the center of an empire that revolutionized urban planning in South America.
After the conquest of Cuzco, the Spaniards destroyed the Coricancha sun temple and erected a cathedral on this site, but its foundation consisted entirely of stones from the previous temple.
Thin air that makes it difficult to breathe, tumbled boulders of the Peruvian Andes - this does not look like a great place for the capital of a rapidly expanding pre-Columbian empire. To successfully exist in such conditions, any community would need great ambitions and a considerable amount of political decisions, as well as engineering ideas.
Fortunately for the Incas, they had all this in abundance, which allowed them to create, using religious faith, political will and smart decisions, the largest empire in South America on unsuitable land. When Pachacutec took the Inca throne in 1438, he set about rebuilding Cuzco according to a new street plan. This street layout has been preserved until today.
The outline of the city was supposed to resemble a puma, with which many legends were associated. This holds a special place in Indian mythology.
Original stonework at Coricancha.
According to legend, built around 1200, the temple was built with the distinctive design and intricate stonework of the Inca style of architecture. Spanish historian Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa admires this style in his 1572 book History of the Incas: “Those of us who saw the temple were in awe of its perfection and beauty.”
Coricancha occupied a very important place in the city. Situated at the intersection of four main roads and connecting four regions of the state, the temple symbolized the crucial role of religion in uniting the various cultural traditions that existed in the vast territory controlled by the Incas.
Serving as a haven for more than four thousand priests, and lost in the massifs of the Andes mountains, the Coricancha functioned as a huge calendar. The shadows cast by the stones located at the top of the structure and clearly visible from the temple made it possible to keep track of the solstices and equinoxes.
The religious complex inside the building consisted of four main ones, dedicated to different gods: the moon god, the star god, the thunder god and the rainbow god. Coricancha was overflowing with gold. One of the rooms contained a giant golden disk in the shape of a sun, which reflected the sun's rays and illuminated the rest of the temple. The disk was positioned so that during the summer solstice it illuminated an inviolable place where only the emperor was allowed to sit.
The era of Pachacutec's reign was marked by numerous campaigns of conquest. By the time his successor ascended the throne, the state extended from the borders of modern Colombia to the Chilean Santiago. Effective organization of Cusco was the main key to success.
But the glory of the empire was short-lived. Power struggles and a devastating smallpox epidemic brought by European explorers in 1530 plunged the empire into chaos. The arriving Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro took advantage of the confusion and captured Emperor Atahualpa, despite the enormous numerical superiority of the natives.
Having paid the ransom demanded by the Spaniards for the release of the emperor, the Indians lost the gold of Caricancha. Despite the treasure they received, the Spaniards killed Atahualpa.
After the conquest of Cuzco, the Spaniards destroyed the magnificent structure. The gold plates were melted down and sent to Spain along with the temple sculptures. On the site of the temple, a Catholic cathedral was erected, the foundation of which was the stones of an Indian shrine. But he who laughs last laughs best. Centuries later, a strong earthquake completely destroyed the cathedral built by the Spaniards, leaving only the Inca foundation intact.
Today Coricancha is receiving the recognition he has long deserved. Despite the fact that modern Cusco has grown and the original outlines of the city in the form of a puma can hardly be seen, the Temple of the Sun remains a wonderful place that attracts many tourists.
The Spanish cathedral was rebuilt on top of an Inca structure, and visitors are prohibited from climbing its walls. They are only allowed to roam the land where the symbol of a vanished empire once stood. Today, where the golden disk of the sun sparkled in the distant past, you can only see sunbathing tourists.
