Huchuy Qosqo

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Huchuy Qosqo is an archaeological site north of Cuzco, Peru. Its name is Quechua for "Little Cuzco." It lies at an elevation of 3600 meters (11,800 feet), above the 3000-meter high town of Lamay and the Sacred Valley. The site received its name in the 20th century; previously it had been known as Kakya Qawani. Pedro de Cieza de León, in his Second Chronicle of Peru, claimed that the palaces were built by Viracocha, the Eighth Inca. Amongst a large number of buildings, some stone, some adobe, is a kallanka (great hall), 40m long. Providing water to the site is an Inca built irrigation channel, lined with stones for about 800m.

The site is inaccessible by public road. The two main access points by foot are from Lamay — 3 hours up a steep set of switchbacks — or from Tauca, Peru — about 3 hours, with a pass at 4400m, then mostly downhill, and visiting some other ruins. The 2 day route from Tauca to Lamay is described in Peter Frost's "Exploring the Cusco". A number of tour groups also lead two-day hikes or horseback trips to Huchuy Qosqo.

Sources

  • Exploring Cusco, Peter Frost, 5th Edition (1999), Nuevas Imágenes.

Although not directly accessible by road, a dirt road leaving Lamay runs a long set of switch backs and arrives at a viewpoint of the ruins. The walk from this viewpoint to the north entrance of the ruins is about 150m, and runs past a few houses inhabited by local farmers. The entrance fee for this national park is 7 Peruvian soles, which will be collected by the two groundskeepers which permanently reside near the ruin entrance.

External links

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