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Sacsayhuaman is the single most impressive feat of Inca construction you can see in the Cusco area. Three parallel zigzag walls run for roughly 400 metres across a hillside overlooking the city, built from limestone blocks - some weighing over 120 tonnes - dragged into position and fitted with the same mortarless precision found throughout Inca architecture, but at a scale that defies easy explanation. The largest stones stand over 8 metres tall. Spanish chronicles record that 20,000 to 30,000 workers laboured on the complex over several decades in the 15th century. After the Spanish conquest, much of the upper structure was dismantled for building material, but the massive foundation walls proved too heavy to move.
Entry requires the Boleto Turistico (130 PEN / 31 EUR for the full circuit, or 70 PEN / 17 EUR for a partial ticket covering Sacsayhuaman and nearby sites). The site is open 07:00-17:30 daily. Allow 1.5-2 hours. The grassy esplanade opposite the walls is where Cusco holds Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, every 24 June - a massive re-enactment of Inca solstice ceremonies that draws thousands of spectators.
Pro Tip: Walk up from the city rather than taking a taxi. The route passes through residential Cusco that tourists rarely see, and arriving on foot gives you a gradual reveal of the walls from below - the perspective that best communicates their scale. Bring water; the altitude at 3,700 metres makes the uphill effort harder than it looks.
