_How the Royal House of the Sun was founded on a hill overlooking Cuzco towards the north, which the Spaniards usually call the fortress_; _and its wonderful Construction, and the size of the stones that are to be seen there._
The city of Cuzco is built in a valley, and on the slopes of hills, as I explained in the first part of this history[201] and from the edifices themselves run broad terraces on which they sow their crops, and they rise one above the other like walls, so that the whole slopes were formed in these _andenes_, which made the city stronger, although its position is naturally strong. For this reason the lords selected it, out of so many other sites. The dominion of the kings was now become extensive and powerful, and Inca Yupanqui entertained far-reaching thoughts. Notwithstanding that the temple of the Sun, called _Curi-cancha_, had been enriched and beautified by himself, and that he had erected other great edifices, he resolved to build another house of the Sun which should surpass all existing temples, and to enrich it with all the things that could be obtained, as well gold and silver as precious stones, fine cloth, arms of all the different kinds they used, munitions of war, shoes, plumes of feathers, skins of animals and birds, _coca_, sacks of wool, and valuables of a thousand kinds, in short, all things of which they had any knowledge. This work was begun with such lofty aspirations, that if their monarchy had endured until to-day it would not yet have been completed.
The Inca ordered that the provinces should provide 20,000 men and that the villages should send the necessary provisions. If any fell sick, another labourer was to supply his place, and he was to return to his home. But these Indians were not kept constantly at a work in progress. They laboured for a limited time, and were then relieved by others, so that they did not feel the demand on their services. There were 4,000 labourers whose duty it was to quarry and get out the stones; 6,000 conveyed them by means of great cables of leather and of _cabuya_[202] to the works. The rest opened the ground and prepared the foundations, some being told off to cut the posts and beams for the wood-work. For their greater convenience, these labourers made their dwelling-huts, each lineage apart, near the place where the works were progressing. To this day most of the walls of these lodgings may be seen. Overseers were stationed to superintend, and there were great masters of the art of building who had been well instructed. Thus on the highest part of a hill to the north of the city, and little more than an arquebus-shot from it, this fortress was built which the natives called the House of the Sun, but which we named the Fortress.