Disclaimer

The intention of this content is to expand awareness about certain places, myths and stories told at some point by humanity. Much of the information may not be scientifically supported or may contradict current theories. Knowledge, throughout history, is constantly updated, constructed or replaced when there is greater understanding. Therefore, we believe in free thinking and its use in a reasonable and beneficial way for collective evolution.

The Lost History

“History is written by the victors” – George Orwell

The claim that history is constantly written by the victors is a thought that should be scrutinized very carefully, especially when it comes to Spanish America and before.

We still know little about the pre-Columbian period, and even less about the prehistory of the Americas. Even though we have made great efforts on the part of historians and local institutions of these places, they still do not compare to the financial and scientific power of many who have extensively exploited these places at some point in the past and still in the present.

Many things that were there are no longer considering the cultural, religious and economic paradigms of each time. Gold was taken, cultures were crushed, religions and cults were changed. History, was told by the minds of those who lived in other realities. But can we still look to the past without this modern veil?

What was Coricancha?

Coricancha, Qorikancha, or Qurikancha (in Quechua, "golden enclosure" or "golden temple"), in Cusco, Peru, was an Inca construction and one of the most important sacred archaeological complexes of that people.

The Coricancha religious complex in the Inca capital of Cusco contained the Temple of the Sun, which was not only the holiest site of the Inca religion, but was considered the center of the world of that civilization. The site was also dedicated to the highest gods of the Inca pantheon, such as the creator god Viracocha, the moon goddess Quilla and Inti, the sun god.

The interior of the place, according to the stories, was COVERED in gold. Some said that gold was considered the sweat of the sun – which was beaten into plates. There were supposedly 700 of these half-square-meter sheets, each weighing 2 kg. Almost a ton and a half of pure gold.

Even the statues and objects were completely gilded. The purpose of the place, as well as its use, age and pre-Columbian history is virtually unknown. The external walls are composed of megalithic blocks perfectly fitted (even without cement) where in some places, not even a pin could be placed, such precision.

Some points on the blocks also have mysterious markings where there is still no consensus on their purpose. There are many alternative theories that also revolve around the construction of the site with a very advanced technology for a people considered “primitive”.

The Invasion and Sack of Coricancha

Pedro de Cieza de León [1] describes a Golden Garden in his 1554 account:

"In the month of October of the year of the Lord 1534, the Spaniards entered the city of Cusco, capital of the great empire of the Incas, where their court was located, as well as the solemn Temple of the Sun and its greatest wonders. The high priest abandoned the temple, where [the Spaniards] plundered the garden of gold and the sheep [llamas] and shepherds of this metal together with so much silver which is unbelievable and precious stones, which, if collected, would be worth a city."

Most of the gold at the site was melted into ingots and taken to the Spanish Crown. The star piece, the golden statue of Inti, was taken to a safe place when the Spaniards arrived, but it is said that they found it thirty years later, in 1572 when it disappeared without a trace, probably melted down like so many other Inca artifacts.

What is Coricancha today?

Little remains today, save for a few sections of its beautiful stone walls that hint at the massive size of the site and the legendary stories that tell of the massive amount of gold used to decorate the temples and its golden garden.

The complex's rather simple entrance door survives with its typical double frame, as well as stretches of the external walls and some internal walls. The Christian monastery of Santo Domingo was built on top of the complex, no doubt in a deliberate attempt to signify that one religion had been replaced by another.

Would it also be a way of recognizing or taking advantage of a place of great spiritual importance in the same way as other places around the world?

Possible (and impossible) unrecovered treasures

There are several legends that tell that in the escape of the Incas, many treasures were taken by them to caves, mountains and other places in the Andes and Amazon. Obviously the priests would choose the most important artifacts and objects to carry and leave those of lesser degree behind.

As we said earlier, more than a ton and a half of pure gold were found in the form of fully engraved murals. In other places around the world it is not uncommon to see the history of peoples written in ink on walls, papyrus, and marked in stone. What would be the value of the untold story, melted into these murals?

We can speculate that there may be many items and artifacts lost from Qoricancha, still passive to be found at a more auspicious time. Perhaps at that moment, men of greater understanding could understand its purpose and connections to the missing links of American history and all its myths.

The similarities of many Inca tales are striking, considering Indo-European religion and mythology. But, this is a point that we will explore further in a future content. Until then!

References

[1] Pedro Cieza de León, The Discovery and Conquest of Peru: Chronicles of the New World Encounter, ed. and trans. Alexandra Parma Cook and Noble David Cook (Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1998), 316–19.

https://www.worldhistory.org/Coricancha

https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coricancha