Click image for larger view

Do you believe that a city can form a shape of an animal? Some people think the country of Italy is in the form of a boot! And where I grew up in Florida, there's a city called Boca Raton, mouth of the Rat, because on a map it looks exactly like that. But here in the capital of Cuzco, the shape that some people think they can see in the plan of the city is...a puma! (A puma is a mountain lion.)

High up, about a forty-minute walk up modern city streets and an older Incan pathway, is the ruin of Sacsayhuaman, which actually feels alive with energy. Because it is hard for foreigners to pronounce, tourists refer to these ruins as "Sexy Woman." Sacsayhuaman is at the top of a hill overlooking the city, and while you can't really see the Puma shape just looking down, the view of the city is incredible. From the air, however, you can make out these features: a circular tower on the right forms the right eye, a square tower on the left forms the left eye, and the teeth are three rows of stone walls that zigzag back and forth twenty-two times.

Click image for larger view

The stone walls of the ruins are made up of individual stone blocks that weigh from 90 to more than 120 tons, and took 30,000 people 50 years to build! Also at the site, there is a high hill with religious significance, covered with terraces and labyrinth-type walls. Our guide said that priests would leave items of personal value here to honor the gods. There is also a flat, open field, where 45,000 people from all over the world gather during a festival that celebrates the summer solstice. Today, however, there were children dressed colorfully asking for small change if you wanted to take their picture.

Click image for larger view

Visiting the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, one can feel almost a hum in the earth and there seems to be a sense of peace and positive energy. One of the guides showed us a space near the stone "teeth" walls where the rocks were whited out, somewhat in the shape of a woman, and some people could come here and lean against the rock, soaking in the powerful vibrations of long ago.

Monica