Tambomachay is an archaeological site associated with the Inca Empire, located near Cusco, Peru. An alternate Spanish name is El Baño del Inca ("the bath of the Inca"). It consists of a series of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls that run through the terraced rocks. It is situated near springs such as the one called Timpuc Puquiu, a boiling spring on the northern bank of the Timpuc River and the spring near Huaylla Cocha community. These natural springs were channeled through three waterfalls that still flow today. The function of the site is uncertain: it may have served as a military outpost guarding the approaches to Cusco, as a spa resort for the Incan political elite or imperial baths. It could have also served a religious function since sacred water fountains were found almost all of major Incan temple such as Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu. There are sources that refer to Tambomachay as one of the nine ceques built along the Road of Antisuyu, describing it as an Incan house where sacrifices were also made.
There is no doubt that all archaeological sites offer a different view of the Inca culture, in this case, Tambomachay shows us the importance that water had in the Inca era. Tambomachay was not greatly damaged in the era of Spanish colonization, that is why the complex is one of the best preserved, located near the city of Cusco.
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