A Guide to Visit Tambomachay in Cusco 2025

BEST Guide to Visit Tambomachay in Cusco , 2025

TAMBOMACHAY OR INCA BATHS

The archaeological site of Tambomachay is 8 km from the city of Cusco (15 min.), to the northeast of Cusco, by asphalted road, and 1 km from Puca-pucará. It is located in the foothills near the main road to the Antisuyo, on the Tambomachay River. It is also known as the Tambo de la Caverna and occupies 437 square meters at 3,700 meters altitude. This Guide to Visit Tambomachay will help you navigate this historic site with ease.

A Guide to Visit Tambomachay in Cusco 2025

The name comes from two Quechua words: Tampu, collective lodging, and Mach’ay, which means resting place. However, according to other references, “machay” means “caverns,” describing the peculiar environment where these natural rock formations are appreciated. According to the indigenous tradition, they were the object of veneration or magical practices. For a comprehensive Guide to Visit Tambomachay, understanding its etymology enhances your appreciation of the site.

Formed by a set of finely carved stone structures, aqueducts, and waterfalls from nearby springs and hot springs (thought to be related to water worship), Tambomachay is one of the pillars of the Andean worldview. This Guide to Visit Tambomachay highlights its significance as one of the first ceque worshipers of the Antisuyo.

According to the chronicles, Tambomachay was the hunting ground of Inca Yupanqui, which implies that it was an area affluent in animal species. This Guide to Visit Tambomachay will delve into the historical context of its use and importance.

Description

The monument is remarkable for its architectural excellence. Four walls or stepped terraces are attached to the hill, constructed based on irregular polyhedra of carved stone, masterfully assembled, forming three parallel platforms. A thick wall (15 meters long by 4 meters high) is adorned with four niches on the latter stands. The stones have been perfectly fitted. This Guide to Visit Tambomachay emphasizes the precision and skill involved in its construction.

It presents/displays four great niches or trapezoidal niches averaging two meters each. In front of the construction, a circular tower was likely used for defense and communication purposes. Following this Guide to Visit Tambomachay will help you identify and understand these architectural features.

Water Worship

Water itself was revered as the source of life. Tambomachay boasts a unique hydraulic system, with two aqueducts artistically carved into the rock to carry and maintain a constant flow of clear and clean water throughout the year, sourced from a pool at a higher level. This Guide to Visit Tambomachay explores how this network of underground canals channels water into a small stone pool at the lowest level.

This pool served as a liturgical source where the Inca worshiped water with the great ones of the Empire. The “Bath of the Ñusta” shares many similarities with Ollantaytambo, featuring perfectly assembled stones with carved edges and channels for drainage. Although it is an open work today, the foundations indicate that it was initially an enclosed space. This Guide to Visit Tambomachay will guide you through these intricate details.

It enters through four trapezoidal double-jamb portico platforms. From the river, two thick walls cut the support wall. One faces the river and has two large niches; the second, almost perpendicular to the first, features a door with a double jamb. This Guide to Visit Tambomachay explains the architectural significance of these doorways.

Guide to Visit Tambomachay

The Incas used this type of door to highlight the importance of a place. You reach a small room through this door where water emerges from the earth’s bowels, visible to all. The origin of the spring that supplies clean and abundant water to the sources remains undiscovered. Some believe the gentle slope where the site is located cannot produce those waters and originates on the river’s opposite bank. This Guide to Visit Tambomachay covers the various theories surrounding the water source.

There is no doubt about the perfection in the carving of the canals. The sound of water, tranquility, and the peace of the environment, along with the closed and collected form of the space, give Tambomachay a peculiar atmosphere. Additionally, it is an excellent example of the ability of Andean architects to harmonize buildings with the landscape. This Guide to Visit Tambomachay ensures you appreciate these harmonious elements.

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