Ruinas de Ingapirca...Today we went to the Incan ruins just about an hour and a half's drive from Cuenca. The name of the site is called Incapirca and its literal translation is "Incan Stone." The Incans conquered the Cañari Indians around the beginning of the 13th century and the Incans also, as far as I know, were the first imperialists in South America (only later to be superseded by the imperials from Spain, and then they were only to be superseded now by the imperialists from the U.S.A). The ruins were interesting, but were not significant to me in the respects of considering the conquering of the Cañari people. Before the Incans had arrived, the Cañari were a society that did not incorporate patriarchy in their life. The god that they worshipped most was the moon -- a feminine god -- and there was more of an emphasis placed on totality of community, reciprocal offerings, and unconditional love. In the Cañari nation, there were no notions of inferiority or superiority -- man was merely a part of nature and was not seen as the master or commander of all (later to be asserted by the Incans and Spanish).
The site was really interesting on archaeological and anthropological levels -- we could touch and imagine the old systems of aqueducts, the soldiers quarters, the market place, the kitchens, the king's quarters, and the sun temple at the top -- but it was a little disconcerting considering the inevitable path of history. Walking around in Ingapirca, I could not help but think that one day, some people from far away will be walking around American ruins and will talk about its history and significance -- all in a manner that perhaps would be similar to our tour at Ingapirca.
