Water and washing seemed to be an important part of Incan life, and many of the archaeological sites in Peru's Sacred Valley have baths and aqueducts as prominent features, but bathing seems to have been such a large part of life in the ancient settlement of Tambomachay that it's now thought it must have been a spa. Here waterfalls and thermal springs have been redirected to run between the terraces into two aqueducts carved into the rocks, then along canals and into decoratively carved baths. Even if it wasn't quite a holiday spa is was definitely a place of rest and water worship - hence the name, which translates to collective resting place

The graded height of the terraces, built of carved stones in many different sizes up to four metres high is impressive, as are the huge doorways and intricately designed carvings, but the really impressive thing is that its baths are still full of clean water all year round – and no one if quite sure where the water is coming from.

Tambomachay is 8kms north of Cusco near the Tambomachay River.

 

Written by  Stuart James.

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