Ancient Ingapirca: Largest And Best Preserved Inca Ruins In Ecuador
AncientPages.com - Largest and best preserved ancient Inca ruins in Ecuador are located near Cuenca, in the province of Cañar, Ecuador. They are known as Ingapirca (in the native Quechua, "Inca wall").
The entire complex was a fortification mixture of the Inca and Cañari civilizations.
The most important construction in this complex was the elliptically-shaped Temple of the Sun, built around a large rock, without mortar; the stones were carefully chiseled and shaped to fit together perfectly.
The chamber at the top of the Temple of the Sun was designed so that during the solstice, at a certain time of day, the sun would fall through narrow windows and illuminate sacred elements. Researchers investigated the ruins of Ingapirca and concluded that the altars within the Temple of the Sun receive direct illumination only at certain times of the year, specifically New Year or Inti Raymi.
The Inti Raymi (in Quechua: "sun festival"), a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire
in honor of the god Inti (Quechua for "sun"), one of the most venerated deities in Inca religion.
Although the real purpose of the site is not fully understood, the city must have played a military role as a fortress to dominate the Andes of what is now northern Ecuador and southern Colombia. Ingapirca had long been settled by the Cañari indigenous people, who called it Hatun Cañar.
As the Inca worshipped the Sun and the Canari (Cañari) civilization were worshiper of the Moon, the city's puma design and the crescent shape of the site reflect the Canari civilization, while the temple of the sun and its Inca walls reflect the Inca culture.
During the Inca expansion into southern Ecuador, the high Inca Tupac Yupanqui come across the Canari "Hatun Canar" tribe.
Having difficulties in conquering the tribe, Tupac Yupanqui decided to approach the problem more strategically. He married the Cañari princess and improving the Cañari city of Guapondelig, calling it Pumapungo (nowadays Cuenca), which remains a symbol of merging of the Canari and Inca civilizations.
Despite the Incas dominance, the civilizations lived peacefully, with their own customs and traditions.
At Ingapirca, there was also constructed a sophisticated underground aqueduct system to distribute water throughout the complex and the astronomical observatory was built under the rule of Inca Huayna Capac.
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesMore From Ancient Pages
-
Roman glass-making furnaces discovered in Egypt’s Delta
Civilizations | Aug 25, 2015 -
Brutus Of Troy: First King Of Britain Or Just A Myth?
Featured Stories | Feb 16, 2016 -
Rare Magic Mirror In Cincinnati Museum Has A Secret Hiding In Plain Sight
Artifacts | Jul 19, 2022 -
Huge Ancient Roman Fortress – A Horreum – Discovered In Bulgaria
Archaeology | Dec 15, 2015 -
Hua Mulan – Chinese Brave Female Warrior In Disguise Who Fought Instead Of Her Old Father
Featured Stories | May 23, 2019 -
Our New Relative: ‘Homo Luzonensis’ – New Species Of Early Human Found
Archaeology | Apr 11, 2019 -
Mystery Of Biblical Noah’s Strange Connection With Red-Skinned Giants And The Watchers – Celestial Secrets – Part 2
Biblical Mysteries | Jan 28, 2021 -
10 Christian Symbols Explained
Ancient Symbols | Jul 28, 2018 -
Does This Ancient Box Contain Buddha’s Cremated Remains?
Archaeology | Nov 15, 2017 -
Kikimora – Nightly Evil Female Spirit And Goddess Of Chickens In Slavic Beliefs
Featured Stories | Oct 22, 2018 -
Graves Dated To Achaemenid Or Parthian Empire – Found In Iran
Archaeology | Aug 15, 2018 -
A 2,000 Year-Old And Rare Chalkstone Vessel Production Center Unearthed Near Nazareth
Archaeology | Aug 18, 2017 -
On This Day In History: Battle Of Rudau Was Fought – On Feb 17, 1370
News | Feb 17, 2017 -
On This Day In History: American General Benedict Arnold Commits Treason – On Sep 21, 1780
News | Sep 21, 2015 -
Prehistoric Hi-Tech Nanospirals Barely Visible To The Naked Eye: Still Remain An Unsolved Mystery
Ancient Technology | Mar 4, 2014 -
Mysterious Tiny Pre-Viking Gold Foil Figures Baffle Scientists
Archaeology | Nov 5, 2019 -
Ancient Tomb Of Peru’s Moche Priestesses Unearthed
Archaeology | Jul 23, 2016 -
Spectacular Square-Headed Creature And 143 New Nazca Geoglyphs – Discovered
Archaeology | Nov 19, 2019 -
Clapping To Show Appreciation Is An Ancient And Widespread Behavior
Ancient History Facts | May 16, 2016 -
Sogdian Temple Of Jartepa II On Caravan Road Of The Silk Road
News | Sep 3, 2020