The strange rock Piedra Sayhuite

December 28, 2017 SouthAmerica

Most travel to Peru to see Machu Picchu, yet many strange ruins from the Incas and pre-Inca cultures are scattered throughout the country, and the Piedra Sayhuite is one of the more intriguing artifacts to see in person. The Sayhuite monolith is an igneous rock of 11 meters in circumference, 4 meters in diameter, and 2.5 meter high. This mysterious rock is located in the archeological site with the same name. The rock is so different that an exact scale replica of it was made and featured along the Avenida Camino Real at the intersection with Av. Juan Antonio Pezet in San Isidro, Lima.

Many tourists that come to Cusco and visit the well-known archeological sites are not familiar with places like this. It could be that the distance from Cusco is a playing factor, but for people willing to get out of the city and explore the less visited sites we do recommend this complex. With a hired car the drive from Cusco takes about three hours and about one hour twenty minutes from the city of Abancay. The best way to visit Sayhuite archeological site would be to hire a taxi for the day. Taxi drivers around this area prefer a round trip for obvious reasons. It might cost you a little more but the convenience is well worth it. Car services with professional drivers can also be found but these will cost more. The ruins have no services or accommodations. A park watchman charges a modest entry fee.

southamericatotheworld.com — Piedra Sayhuite

The Sayhuite rock is a mystery and has several hypotheses about what this monolith represents with its carvings of 200 figures. Some represent geographical features and human constructions, while making use of certain shapes natural to the rock formation. The top of the stone is completely resurfaced with complex designs with many resembling streets, stairways, channels, and buildings. Many of the animal carvings have subsequent been beheaded. For people that visit this rock today is hard to comprehend the symbolism or meaning of these figures, but here are some theories:

Some people believe it is a ceremonial center due to its location. The monolith was set on the hilltop of Concacha and is not material that was sourced from here. The large rock was transported and placed on top of the manmade platform. This is no surprise because the Incas were able to build Machu Picchu amongst other monumental temple complexes.

Others believe the Sayhuite is a model of the Tahuantinsuyo (the vast Inca Empire). The oracle or the ceremonial stone representing the three different regions in Peru, including; the coast represented by the ocean with animals such as crab, octopus, and pelican, b. the Jungle region represented by monkeys, lizards, and birds, and c. the Sierra represented by the condor and mountain lions.

One hypothesis is that the stone represents an irrigation system mastered by the Inca culture. Sayhuite illustrates terraces, ponds, rivers, tunnels, and canals, making this monolith a great hydraulic topographic model.

Another hypothesis is that this rock was used as a teaching element for the architects working for the Inca, whereas other people believe it was a sacrificial center.

A last hypothesis is that this monolith was a place to worship water and agriculture. The old belief was that this Sayhuite rock was a “Huaca” meaning a sacred object where the people perform rituals. In this case performed by an Andean priest whom they call the one who makes the huaca speak, following the ritual he would raise a pitcher and pour the water on the monolith and the water would run along the sculpted rivers and canals symbolizing the fertilization of their fields.

Among many ceremonies celebrated by the Incas one that was always constant was the worship to water. They had many rituals in which they ran water through sinuous channels and interpreted the noise as responses to oracles related to agriculture.

Through the entire complex of approximately sixty acres, people can appreciate the ruins of Inca walls with their typical stone masonry. Another main point of attraction is the Intihuatana monolith which the Incas used as an observatory site. It is established that this complex was a ceremonial site with many “apus” or sacred places such as: Rumihuasi, Chincana, Intihuatana, Pillijchu, and Concacha. The ruins have three main temple platforms, and on the south side is a steep set of stone stairs going down alongside an array of Inca bathes, which are short waterfalls and narrow canals carved in stone, each feeding a square shallow pool.