Day Trip To ImgaPirca then Cui in Cuenca.

Day Trip To ImgaPirca then Cui in Cuenca.

We drove about 2 hours from Cuenca to see Ingapirca, which is an archeological discovery of where the Caῆaris lived, almost 10,000 feet high on the mountains of Ecuador, 800 years before Christ. The Caῆaris were there way before the Incas, and the two didn’t get along. And, so, that explains a beautiful town in Ecuador called Caῆar.

Ingapirca, a Kichua ( Inca language still spoken)  word meaning Wall of the Inca, is the most important archeological site of the Inca empire in Ecuador.

As I’ve said before, getting there was just as exciting. We drove on valley roads high on the mountains looking at spectacular scenery of dairy farms and lush green tapestry fields. Just square patches of farm land in every earth color imaginable. Just stunning. The mountain people were indigenous decendants of the Caῆaris/Incas and they still wear the traditional clothing, which is very colorful and beautiful.

We drove through a mountain top town called Tambo where my mother was born and where she met my father. So weird to realize my mom was born in one of these towns, high on the mountains of Ecuador. To me, it might as well be Mars.

We took a guided tour of the ruins and it is amazing how the Caῆari civilization lived, guided by the sun, moon and stars to figure out when to plant crops, when to harvest and when to rest and be with family.

The most important detail, I learned was that the women ruled the kingdom. The highest authority was a female priest. She decided everything. It was a matriarchal society.  When she died, she was buried with all her possessions, including her servants which were given a potion to put them to sleep and slowly die.

After the archeological visit, It was about 1 pm, we were all tired and hungry.  Victoria decided to call ahead to a terrific restaurant in Cuenca called Tres Estrellas that specializes in Cui. Next report the Feast of the Cui.