Ingapirca

Ingapirca is laid out in the shape of a Puma
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Fine and I took a day trip from Cuenca to Ingapirca, which is the most significant archeological site in Ecuador. The Cañari people, who worshipped the moon and all things female, used the area for thousands of years until the Incas moved in circa AD1500 and constructed the Temple of the Sun, which is still used for celebrations at Summer Solstice today. The site has loads of interesting features, including the former tomb of a Cañari princess who was buried with all of her girlfriends and different stone structures which highlight the difference between Cañari and Incan architecture. The Cañari people traded vegetables and other goods for seashells with people from the coast, which they used extensively to cultivate the earth. So much so, that when the Incas arrived, they thought that shells were more valuable than gold and stole them all from the Cañari people. Gotta love those sun-worshippers...