Qorikancha

 The Convent of Santo Domingo is literally built over the Incan temple complex known as Qorikancha. This huge wall and a few structures inside the convent are all that remain of what was once the most important temple site in the whole empire.

This painting is a stylized representation showing Qorikancha and more specifically the Temple of the Sun, as the center of the Inca Empire.  "All roads lead to Rome" was a saying back in the days of the Roman Empire and the same could be said of the Incas.  Each line, or seque, represents a road from the reaches of the empire leading back to Cuzco.  The dots on the line represent sacred sites.

The different colors refer to the four parts of the empire.

As I mentioned earlier Qorikancha is mostly covered over by a Catholic convent and church.

Some Incan structures do remain, however.  One again, the finely finished and fitted stonework is indicative of the Inca's best work, reserved for religious structures.  The niches on the wall once held gold statues of the gods, all long since melted down and sent back to Spain in the form of ingots.

These temples were originally covered with thatched roofs.

The windows line up perfectly.

The Inca justice system was fairly simple.  Most of the rules revolved around worship of the sun god, Inti, and three simple rules:  Ama Sulla, Ama Llulla, Ama Quella.  Translated from Quecha it means don't steal, don't lie, and don't be lazy.  Good rules to live by.  The first offense was often treated with only a rebuke, but a second time before the judge would often bring death or maiming.

Examples of stones carved with water channels.

Here's a rendition of Qorikancha as it originally appeared, minus the thatched roofs.  As shown above, the entire top of the wall was covered in gold sheets!  People would enter through the gate at the top and then would proceed through the various temples in a clockwise matter, finally ending at the Temple of the Sun, the gold-rimmed room on the left.

What is especially interesting for those of our faith, is the ritual itself. A Dr. John Lund spoke with a man who had done extensive research into Qoricancha and the Incan rituals associated with it.  As he began describing what they did and where, Dr. Lund was astounded to discover a relationship with our own temple ordinances.

For example, people would first be purifed and led into the garden (left, on the diagram above and the green area lower left in the photo below.  Here they were taught about the Creation from the Incan theology).  Sound familiar?

Next, they would enter the temple complex and proceed through various temples where they would make covenants (the historian's term, not Dr. Lund's!).  The two first temples are still standing, they are in the photos above.  The Temple of the Stars is no longer standing, being replace by the convent, but the Temple of the Moon is still there and was the site of a clothing change during the ritual.  From there they would go through a special doorway into the Temple of the Sun proper.  More on the doorway later.

Interesting.

I took this off of Maps and show the route through the complex, ending at the Temple of the Sun underneath the church.

Double doorways like this mark the entrances to special places and cities.  This one is at the entrance to the Temple of the Sun.  The notches on the side held a rod that supported a curtain, or veil, through which initiates, both male and female, were required to respond to certain questions pertaining to things they had been taught earlier.  Again, this information came from the historian who knew noting of our own temple ceremonies.

Qorikancha garden views.