Sayac Marca

These ruins are just off the main trail, up a set of stairs (maybe 50 meters worth) and some of our group skipped it, but for me it is one of the highlights of the trail. Of medium scale - much more extensive than Runcu Raccay - they are in an impressive setting built onto the crest of a ridge (once again overlooking several valleys) with a view all the way down into Amazonia (weather permitting).

In our case, conditions were clear when we first arrived, so I took a few pictures, but as became increasingly obvious over the course of the trek, clear views can quickly be replaced by mist and rain and sure enough, within a few minutes the long view you can see above was obscured by clouds which rolled in along the valley.

The ruins show the Inca tendency to incorporate the natural structure of the site into the architecture. A large projection of rock is surrounded by several of the interior rooms in what looks to be a temple and there is a lot of  stonework built right out of the existing stone surface of the site. Steps lead up and down to the various levels of the site as it conforms to the shape of the ridge. There are also the remains of an aqueduct system still visible coming coming off the ridge above into the top of the site.

<<< Looking across the valley towards Concha Marca and our next campsite as the clouds roll in...

A round walled structure near the top of the site...

In the picture at right, Josh is demonstrating the 'flying steps' that you will see in several of the ruins along the way. Long flat rocks are extended out of the face of the stone walls to provide steps from one steep terrace to another.

The function of the site is not exactly clear - it's not a waystation like Runcu Raccay, not a fortress like Sacsayhuaman, not an agricultural outpost like Patallacta. Like so many other places and things on this trek, the enigma only adds to the intrigue...