The story
Welcome to Avenida Tullumayo. As you stand here near the address of 239, take a deep breath and look down at the pavement beneath your feet. It might look like an ordinary, busy thoroughfare in the heart of modern Cusco, but you are actually standing on top of a ghost—or more accurately, a river that was captured and tamed centuries ago.
In the time of the Inca Empire, this was not a paved road. It was the Tullumayo River, one of the two sacred waterways that defined the physical and spiritual limits of the imperial capital. To your right and left, high stone walls once rose directly from the riverbanks.
The Incas were master hydraulic engineers, and they did not just let the water flow wildly. They canalized it, lining the bed and the sides with perfectly fitted stones to prevent flooding and to create a clean, aesthetic border for the holy city. But why this specific path?
This is where the story gets legendary. It is said that the great Inca Pachacuti designed Cusco in the shape of a crouching puma, the symbol of earthly power. The fortress of Sacsayhuamán, high on the hill behind you, formed the head.
The space between the two rivers—the Tullumayo here on the east and the Huatanay a few blocks to the west—formed the puma’s body. You are currently walking along the very outline of that sacred animal. Right here around Avenida Tullumayo 239, you can see how the layers of history have stacked up.
If you look at the base of some of the older buildings nearby, you will occasionally spot the dark, weathered andesite stones of the original Inca canal walls still serving as foundations for colonial-era balconies and modern storefronts. The name Tullumayo translates roughly to River of Bones. Some historians suggest it was named for the remains found here after ancient battles, while others believe it refers to the "ribs" or the structural framework the river provided to the city’s layout.
As you continue walking south in the direction of the traffic, you are heading toward Pumachupan, or the Tail of the Puma. This is the confluence where the Tullumayo and the Huatanay rivers finally meet. Even though the river was covered over with concrete in the mid-20th century to make room for the cars and people of a growing city, the water still rushes beneath you, invisible but vital.
Can you imagine the sound of that water echoing against stone walls five hundred years ago? The air would have been cooler, and the boundaries of the sacred city would have been clearly marked by the mountain runoff. Walk slowly, and let the pulse of the hidden river guide your steps through the heart of the puma.