Inca ruin of Sacsayhuamán near Cusco, Peru Aug 9, 2024

In the city of Cusco, Peru, the stone walls of Sacsayhuamán, seen in today"s image, murmur tales of the mighty Inca civilisation. Perched on a steep hill overlooking the city, this fortified complex offers expansive views of the valley to the southeast. Archaeological studies of pottery found at Sacsayhuamán suggest that the hilltop was first occupied around 900 CE. The Quechua word Sacsayhuamán means "the place where the hawk is satisfied." The citadel"s walls, which extended over 30 metres, were built in the 15th century CE. The boulders used to make them were carved and placed without mortar. After the Inca Empire was defeated at a battle here in 1536, Sacsayhuamán was dismantled by the Spanish, and the rest of the structure was covered in earth. It was rediscovered in 1934 when the site was excavated.

© SL_Photography/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Aug 9, 2025Letters Square Roundabout, Manaus, Brazil

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 29, 2023Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Oct 27, 2024Polar bear
Dec 1, 2025Natural arch carved in an iceberg, Antarctica
Oct 2, 2023Verdon Gorge, France
Dec 14, 2025Tufted titmouse
Jun 5, 2025Fumacinha Waterfall, Chapada Diamantina, Brazil
Dec 26, 2025Lakes of Covadonga, Asturias, Spain
Jul 14, 2025Young blue shark
Sep 27, 2024Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Aug 7, 2025Gasparilla Island Rear Range Light, Boca Grande, Florida, United States
Jan 3, 2025Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College, University of Oxford, England
Feb 12, 2026Blue-footed booby, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Dec 27, 2025Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States
Nov 24, 2025Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh, India
Apr 10, 2024Burrowing owl chicks, Wyoming, USA
Jan 29, 2024Golling Waterfall, Salzburg, Austria
Oct 17, 2023Torra di a Parata, Corsica, France
Nov 15, 2023Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Jul 25, 2025Colourful houses of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Oct 30, 2025Camels, Rajasthan, India
Jan 24, 2026Andermatt village in the Alps, Switzerland
Dec 15, 2023SantaPark, Lapland, Finland
Dec 23, 2024Two red-crowned cranes in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan
Nov 5, 2024Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
Sep 27, 2025Tank Lakes, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington, United States
Apr 26, 2025Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada
Apr 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
Dec 20, 2023Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
Dec 29, 2023Oud-West neighbourhood, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mar 11, 2025Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia