The ancient Peruvian capital CUZCO was considered, according to their religious belief, the point of attachment of the umbilical cord to the three levels of existence of the human race.
The CITY acted as such to the Inca empire during its great expansion. The mythology of CUZCO recalls that the CITY was located by "the children of the sun," from TIAHUANACO, according to pre-designed religious rituals.
The name CUZCO means "navel" representing a symbolic gate or small hollow in the middle of the belly from which, according to their belief, a soul was driven to any of the three levels of the Andean religious world (underworld, middle world and upper world). It was the soul's task to fight for the best spot in the upper world for the rest of the eternal life.
When the Spaniards arrived to "the land of the children of the sun," they did not understand the language of this sacred people. They lack of knowledge led them to believe that all was simply the work of demons or malign spirits. However, history and archaeology demonstrate that those wonders are the work of the Incas, Quechuas, the Andean People.
The Imperial CITY of CUZCO was laid out in the form of a PUMA, the animal that symbolized the INCA DYNASTY. The belly of the puma was the main plaza, the river Tullumayo formed its spine, and the hill of SACSAYHUAMAN its head.
The hill has three walls running parallel, built in different levels representing the THREE LEVELS of existence. UKJU PACHA, "the underground stage,"beginning from the bottom in which the boulders used were the biggest. Then followed by the KAY PACHA, 'earth' surface, the middle stage. Ending to the HANAN PACHA, 'sky' stage on the top. The levels were matched with their THREE SACRED ANIMALS : the AMARU or MAch'aqway representing the SNAKE, the PUMA, and the KUNT UR representing the andean CONDOR. These THREE levels divinely interacted and still is known as THREE. This number represent a key number among QUECHUAS, the people of the Andes.
