A pucará (from Quechua pukara "fortress") is a term that refers to the ruins of the fortifications made by the natives of the central Andean cultures (that is to say: from Ecuador to the Central Valley of Chile and the Argentine Northwest) and particularly to those of the Inca. The Spanish also referred to Mapuche earthen forts in the Arauco War by this term.
Furthermore, one of the most refined branches of the Chavín culture is sometimes referred as "Pucará culture" or "Pucará style". It seems to have been a foundation of the later Wari Empire and Tiwanaku culture. For the language, see Pukara language.
Today, the term is commonly found in toponyms of the Andes region, for example: