FEUDAL CITIES IN ANCIENT PERU?

  

This prodigious pre-Hispanic citadel walled is located 9 kilometers from Huamachuco and 183 kilometers from the city of Trujillo in the northern mountains of Peru at an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level.

 

  

This spectacular walled citadel was built by the enigmatic WAMACHUCO civilization that developed in this area between the 4th and 10th centuries AD, after a long cultural process that reached its peak in this stone walled city that was its center of administrative and religious power where the elite of this imperious pre-Inca people lived. that expanded throughout almost the entire northern highlands of Peru, its inhabitants were polytheists they worshipped various gods including the falcon but perhaps their main God was the almighty God CATEQUIL the creator of the world to whom they rendered reverence and sacrifices in great magical ceremonies.

 

Without a doubt, the most striking feature of this unique citadel called MARCAHUAMACHUCO is its harmonious and delicate architecture, which is very similar to the feudal cities of medieval Europe. The engineers of this culture, knowing that they were at a considerable altitude and that the area was very cold, built fortified citadels in a circular shape to retain more heat, or at least that is what is believed.

  

 Research carried out on site shows that Markahuamachuco was built between the 5th and 7th centuries AD. The citadel was perfectly defined by an enormous defensive wall that protected it from any invader. It is also known that this civilization had commercial and cultural contact with other civilizations such as the Wari, Cajamarca, Mochica, Recuay, and that they were finally conquered by the fierce empire of the great Chimu.

 

 

the citadel has an area of ​​more than 5 square kilometers where 4 funerary towers of 5 meters high stand out for their altitude and size that apparently during the invasion were burned, because during the excavations a large amount of ash, offerings and charred remains were found, but among all the spaces of this citadel THE CASTLE stands out that despite the passage of time still preserves its majestic and impressive architecture with interior galleries, secret passages and ceremonial squares for private use probably dedicated to secret ceremonies with restricted access. It is believed that this imposing castle had up to 5 floors in height.

 Regarding the name MARKAHUMACHUCO, it comes from the local language spoken by these settlers, a now extinct language called CULLI, of which only the names of some towns and words used to this day remain, and it means HAWK CAP. According to what is said, this town had the falcon as one of its deities and the most important dance of this civilization was in honor of the falcon. During this festival, the dancers wore outfits with falcon feathers, a dance that continues to be performed to this day.