During my daughter’s and my visit to Peru, we booked a taxi to take us to the Tipón Water Gardens, arriving early in the morning. In the following video you will see one person and a dog. Tipón is frequently bypassed by the typical day tours as it lies in the opposite direction from Cusco from the more popular attractions. We enjoyed hours in the park alone; when we came back from a foray up the Canal Inka, there were maybe 15 other visitors. The tranquility of the surroundings can truly be enjoyed without scads of people interrupting the land and soundscape. Photo set here.

Tipón is one of the most captivating archaeological sites in Peru and reflects the awe-inspiring accomplishments of the Inca Empire. While traces of occupation at Tipón date back thousands of years, its most impressive development occurred about 500 years ago, when it became a self-contained walled settlement that served as an estate for Inca nobility. Inside the settlement lay beautiful royal rooms, canals, plazas, aqueducts, and great water fountains, which all but turned a remote mountainside into an engineering marvel. It was also a place for ceremonial and religious purpose. Today, some of these structures still exist and stand as a testament to the Inca’s mastery of irrigation and hydraulic technology.

The Inca were skilled engineers and craftsmen who built a network of roads linking the distant provinces of the empire together, as well as sophisticated water collection systems for harvesting rainwater, groundwater, and natural springs. Nowhere is this technology more beautifully preserved than at the ancient site of Tipón. Tipón is located 25 km from Cusco in a ravine high above the Cusco Valley, ranging in elevation from 10,700 to 13,000 feet. (Ancient-Origins.net)

The true purpose of Tipón is not known. Even the original name of the Inca site is lost. The only possible written reference can be found in the Comentarios Reales de los Incas by Garcilaso de la Vega. According to de la Vega, after the Viracocha Inca usurped his father, he ordered a palace to be built for his father, Yawar Waqaq. The location of this palace is described as close to Cusco, built between the straits of Muyna and Quepicancha, near the river Tucay. As Tipón is located between two mountain streams, and above the Urubamba river, some archeologists believe de la Vega was talking about Tipón. (Wikipedia)