Discover Peru Travel Guide by Lonely Planet

Author:Lonely Planet
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lonely Planet

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Pre-Columbian Ruins

If you enjoy clambering around ruins – and would like to do it with some measure of peace – a number of less-trafficked sites around Cuzco offer just that:

1 TIPÓN

(admission with boleto turístico;7am-6pm) About 30km east of Cuzco you’ll find this impressive site, which contains some exceptional terracing and an ingenious irrigation system. The steep dirt road at the turnoff has some excellent spots for eating cuy (guinea pig). Taxis from Cuzco can bring you here.

2 PIQUILLACTA & RUMICOLCA

(admission with boleto turístico;7am-6pm) Literally translated as ‘the Place of the Flea,’ Piquillacta is the only major pre-Inca ruin in the area. Built around AD 1100 by the Wari (another empire-building culture), it consists of a large ceremonial center surrounded by a defensive wall. On the opposite side of the road about 1km further east is the huge Inca gate of Rumicolca, built on Wari foundations. These sites are located east of Tipón.

3 RAQCHI

(admission S10) About 125km southeast of Cuzco is this ruin that looks from the road like a strange alien aqueduct. These are the remains of the Temple of Viracocha, one of the holiest shrines in the Inca empire. Twenty-two columns made of stone blocks helped support the largest-known Inca roof. Unfortunately, most were destroyed by the Spanish – though there is a reconstruction process underway. The surrounding village is known for its ceramics.

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