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Choquequirao
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Choquequirao
Choquequirao is a 16th-century Incan site in the Cusco Region of southern Peru. Often called the "sister city" of Machu Picchu due to its similar structure and architecture, the site consists of an extensive complex of buildings and agricultural terraces built around the Sunch'u Pata, the truncated hill top, on a steep mountainside overlooking the Apurímac River. The ruins are situated in the Santa Teresa district (La Convención province) at an elevation of 3,050 metres (10,010 ft) in the rugged Vilcabamba mountain range. The site overlooks the Apurimac River canyon that has an elevation of 1,450 metres (4,760 ft).
The complex covers an area of about 1,800 hectares, though only 30–40% has been excavated. It served as a ceremonial center, an administrative hub, and a checkpoint controlling access to the Vilcabamba region. It is renowned for its sophisticated stone masonry, water channels, and unique white stone mosaics of llamas built into its terrace walls. After the Spanish conquest, it became one of the last strongholds of Inca resistance led by Manco Inca Yupanqui.
The site can only be reached by a two-day hike from outside Cusco.
The name Choquequirao is generally believed to come from the Aymara and Quechua languages. It is a combination of the Aymara lexeme choqe and the Quechua lexeme k'iraw. According to Ludovico Bertonio's Aymara dictionary, choque designates “gold, the richest metal”. The Quechua lexeme k'iraw mean a crib or cradle. In González Holguín's Quechua dictionary the term qquirao translates as “the cradle of children”. Choquequirao is often translated as "Cradle of Gold". According to Alencastre, the name of a rocky peak, located in the vicinity of the site, could have been given, by extension, to the site when it was rediscovered in the 19th century. Choqe K'iraw in Quechua translates as "Metallic Tooth".
Choquequirao is a 15th- and 16th-century settlement associated with the Inca Empire, or more correctly Tahuantinsuyo. The site had two major growth stages. This could be explained if Pachacuti founded Choquequirao and his son, Tupac Inca Yupanqui, remodeled and extended it after becoming the Sapa Inca. Choquequirao is located in the area considered to be Pachacuti’s estate; which includes the areas around the rivers Amaybamba, Urubamba, Vilcabamba, Vitcos, and Apurímac.
Other sites in this area are Sayhuite, Machu Picchu, Chachabamba (Chachapampa), Choquesuysuy (Chuqisuyuy), and Guamanmarca (Wamanmarka); all of which share similar architectural styles with Choquequirao. The architectural style of several important features appears to be of Chachapoya design, suggesting that Chachapoya workers were probably involved in the construction. This suggests that Tupaq Inka probably ordered the construction. Colonial documents also suggest that Tupac Inca ruled Choquequirao since his great grandson, Tupa Sayri, claimed ownership of the site and neighboring lands during Spanish colonization.
It was one of the last bastions of resistance and refuge of the Son of the Sun (the "Inca"), Manco Inca Yupanqui, who fled Cusco after his siege of the city failed in 1535.
According to the Peruvian Tourism Office, "Choquequirao was probably one of the entrance check points to the Vilcabamba, and also an administrative hub serving political, social, and economic functions. Its urban design has followed the symbolic patterns of the imperial capital, with ritual places dedicated to Inti (the Incan sun god) and the ancestors, to the earth, water, and other divinities, with mansions for administrators and houses for artisans, warehouses, large dormitories or kallankas, and farming terraces belonging to the Inca or the local people. Spreading over 700 meters, the ceremonial area drops as much as 65 meters from the elevated areas to the main square." The city also played an important role as a link between the Amazon Jungle and the city of Cusco.
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Choquequirao
Choquequirao is a 16th-century Incan site in the Cusco Region of southern Peru. Often called the "sister city" of Machu Picchu due to its similar structure and architecture, the site consists of an extensive complex of buildings and agricultural terraces built around the Sunch'u Pata, the truncated hill top, on a steep mountainside overlooking the Apurímac River. The ruins are situated in the Santa Teresa district (La Convención province) at an elevation of 3,050 metres (10,010 ft) in the rugged Vilcabamba mountain range. The site overlooks the Apurimac River canyon that has an elevation of 1,450 metres (4,760 ft).
The complex covers an area of about 1,800 hectares, though only 30–40% has been excavated. It served as a ceremonial center, an administrative hub, and a checkpoint controlling access to the Vilcabamba region. It is renowned for its sophisticated stone masonry, water channels, and unique white stone mosaics of llamas built into its terrace walls. After the Spanish conquest, it became one of the last strongholds of Inca resistance led by Manco Inca Yupanqui.
The site can only be reached by a two-day hike from outside Cusco.
The name Choquequirao is generally believed to come from the Aymara and Quechua languages. It is a combination of the Aymara lexeme choqe and the Quechua lexeme k'iraw. According to Ludovico Bertonio's Aymara dictionary, choque designates “gold, the richest metal”. The Quechua lexeme k'iraw mean a crib or cradle. In González Holguín's Quechua dictionary the term qquirao translates as “the cradle of children”. Choquequirao is often translated as "Cradle of Gold". According to Alencastre, the name of a rocky peak, located in the vicinity of the site, could have been given, by extension, to the site when it was rediscovered in the 19th century. Choqe K'iraw in Quechua translates as "Metallic Tooth".
Choquequirao is a 15th- and 16th-century settlement associated with the Inca Empire, or more correctly Tahuantinsuyo. The site had two major growth stages. This could be explained if Pachacuti founded Choquequirao and his son, Tupac Inca Yupanqui, remodeled and extended it after becoming the Sapa Inca. Choquequirao is located in the area considered to be Pachacuti’s estate; which includes the areas around the rivers Amaybamba, Urubamba, Vilcabamba, Vitcos, and Apurímac.
Other sites in this area are Sayhuite, Machu Picchu, Chachabamba (Chachapampa), Choquesuysuy (Chuqisuyuy), and Guamanmarca (Wamanmarka); all of which share similar architectural styles with Choquequirao. The architectural style of several important features appears to be of Chachapoya design, suggesting that Chachapoya workers were probably involved in the construction. This suggests that Tupaq Inka probably ordered the construction. Colonial documents also suggest that Tupac Inca ruled Choquequirao since his great grandson, Tupa Sayri, claimed ownership of the site and neighboring lands during Spanish colonization.
It was one of the last bastions of resistance and refuge of the Son of the Sun (the "Inca"), Manco Inca Yupanqui, who fled Cusco after his siege of the city failed in 1535.
According to the Peruvian Tourism Office, "Choquequirao was probably one of the entrance check points to the Vilcabamba, and also an administrative hub serving political, social, and economic functions. Its urban design has followed the symbolic patterns of the imperial capital, with ritual places dedicated to Inti (the Incan sun god) and the ancestors, to the earth, water, and other divinities, with mansions for administrators and houses for artisans, warehouses, large dormitories or kallankas, and farming terraces belonging to the Inca or the local people. Spreading over 700 meters, the ceremonial area drops as much as 65 meters from the elevated areas to the main square." The city also played an important role as a link between the Amazon Jungle and the city of Cusco.
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