- Location: Cuspican, Cuzco, Peru
- Type: archaeological complex
If you believe a lot of legends about the life of ancient Indians, there is a picture that they lived in an extraordinary world with unique natural conditions and possessed sets of mysterious knowledge that expressed in the construction of unusual, architecturally complex structures and objects. One of such objects can rightfully be considered the Royal Tipon Gardens, located in the valley of the Urubamba River , which is 30-40 minutes drive from Cuzco to Puno. This object is not so popular as the glorified Saksayuaman or Tambomachai , so tourists can enjoy the beauty and strength of architectural thought in a rather tranquil setting.
Tipon Gardens in Peru
The royal garden Tipon refers to the so-called "temples of water" and the first thing that opens the view of the visitor is a two-meter stream of water beating from an artificial wall, which, like the whole complex, is built from polygonal (and even megalithic) blocks. The whole complex of Tipon is divided into terraces, irrigated by a special system, thanks to which in ancient times, there were high yields of many crops. For the convenience of movement from the lower to the upper points of the Royal Gardens of Tipon in Peru, there are many steps.
At the top of the structure is the largest source of water, which does not cease to function even in the driest period. This was made possible by the initial construction of a multitude of hidden canals that deliver water from still undiscovered sources. Water enters all the terraces in intersecting directions, and its level remains the same in all canals, regardless of the volume of water entering these channels.
The territory of the water temple in Tipon is decorated with unknown buildings; according to some hypotheses, these structures could serve as temples of the ancient Incas, as evidenced by the niches in these buildings used to house statues of ancient deities. In addition to the alleged temples, there are on the territory of Tipon and structures that supposedly served as lodgings for priests and servants. But still, in these buildings, it is not their beauty that is surprising, but their execution. The mere fact that the gardens are built on a hill that towers over the lowland for more than 300 meters indicates the high engineering level and diligence of the ancient Incas, who did not yet know of an invention like the wheel, but they found opportunities to build this unique facility functioning and now.
How to get there?
Temple of water Tipon, as mentioned in the beginning of the article, is located near the city of Cuzco and you can reach it by bus, Los Leones, which takes you to your destination for only 2 salt. Then, to choose from, you can go up to the building on foot (it takes more than an hour to go uphill) or take taxi drivers who are waiting for their passengers right on the track. The cost of a taxi ride is better to negotiate in advance and try to bargain - the approximate cost of travel will be 10 salts.
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