Rimma EMaker

We’d been to Saqsaywaman a few years back, on our own, and recall it being a striking site, but felt we missed out on some of the context and sense of place. The ruins don’t speak for themselves — and that’s especially true at Peru’s archaeological sites, where, rightly, there are no museum-style cards or explanations. On your own you might do a bit of reading, then walk around and look, but you don’t really understand everything you’re seeing. Going with Delsi — an archaeologist who has worked on several of the sites in the region — was completely different from our previous time there. Over the day she took us through four connected sites: Saqsaywaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay. She speaks in Spanish, which we don’t, but with such confidence, expressiveness, and familiarity with the place that we frequently caught the gist before Yessika even translated. She’d draw pictures on paper in the moment to answer a question, or show us what no longer stands. She took us to corners of Saqsaywaman we hadn’t known were there, and through a tunnel we’d never have found or felt comfortable navigating on our own. It was a very satisfying day — and at lunch, it felt like we were visiting with friends.

Boom!