Muyuq Marka facts for kids
The base of the circular tower of Muyuq Marka still remains
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 Location in Peru
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| Location | Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru |
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| Region | Andes |
| Coordinates | 13°30′32.5″S 71°58′58.3″W / 13.509028°S 71.982861°W |
| Type | Sanctuary |
| Part of | Saksaywaman |
Muyuq Marka, also called Muyuqmarka, is an ancient site in Peru. It is the base of what was once a round tower built by the Inca people. This tower is located inside the huge fortress of Saksaywaman, which stands high above the city of Cusco.
Muyuq Marka was used as a temple for Inti, the Inca Sun god. It was part of a group of buildings, most of which are still there today. However, the temple and two towers next to it were taken apart by the Spanish rulers. What is left of Muyuq Marka shows it was a round building. It had an open area in the middle with a fountain. The temple had three walls that lined up with where the sun rose and set at certain times of the year.
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The Famous Tower of Muyuq Marka
Muyuq Marka was one of three towers at the top of the Inca temple of Saksaywaman. This tower is famous because of a brave event in 1536. During the Battle of Sacsayhuaman, an Inca soldier named Cahuide jumped from the top of the tower. He did this so he would not be captured by the Spanish soldiers.
According to the writer Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, this tower also stored pure water.
What Muyuq Marka Looked Like
The Muyuq Marka structure has three round stone walls. These walls are connected by other walls that spread out like spokes on a wheel. There are also three channels built to bring water into the center. Many scientists believe this area was a reservoir for water.
Originally, Muyuq Marka was a building with four floors stacked on top of each other. The first floor was likely square. The second and third floors were probably round. The upper parts might have been circular farming terraces. These terraces would have gotten smaller as they went up. The widest terrace was about 3.6 meters wide, and the narrowest was about 3 meters wide. The tower likely ended with a cone-shaped roof.
Muyuq Marka is thought to have been about 20 meters tall. It was an amazing structure that impressed many early writers. The Spanish destroyed it, even though people like Cieza and Inca Garcilaso protested.
Stories from Early Writers
Several early writers, called chroniclers, wrote about three towers on top of the Saksaywaman hill. One of them was Pedro Sánchez de la Hoz. He entered Cusco with Francisco Pizarro. In his writings, he said that Saksaywaman had three towers. He described the middle one as a square shape with four or five parts stacked up.
However, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega disagreed. He said the middle tower was round. But both writers agreed there were three towers and they were very large. "Inca" Garcilaso also wrote that there were huge tunnels under the towers. He said these tunnels connected all three towers. He even mentioned playing in these tunnels as a child, until the Spanish started to destroy them.
Later, Pedro Pizarro mentioned only two towers. He described them as "two very tall cubes." He probably only saw Paucamarca and Sallacmarca. This is because Muyuq Marka had already been destroyed by the Spanish by then.
Images for kids
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Map of Saksaywaman.
See also
In Spanish: Muyucmarca para niños
