Kusichaka River

Kusichaka
River
Kusichaka River as it flows along Patallaqta just before its confluence with the Willkanuta River (background)
Name origin: Quechua
Country Peru
Region Cusco Region
Tributaries
 - left Chawpiwayq'u-Llulluch'apampa
 - right Kiskamayu, Ch'urumayu
Mouth Willkanuta River

Kusichaka River[1][2] (Quechua kusi delight, joy, happiness / merry, joyful, content, happy, chaka bridge,[3] "joy bridge",[4] hispanicized spellings Cusichaca, Cusichaka, Kusichaca) is a river in Peru located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, on the border of the districts Machupicchu and Ollantaytambo. Its waters flow to the Willkanuta River.[5]

Kusichaka River originates in the Willkapampa mountain range east of the mountain Salkantay, south of the Pallqay (Paljay) and southwest of the Wayanay. Its direction is mainly to the northeast along the villages Pampaqawana (Pampacahuana), Ch'uru (Churo), Pawqarkancha (Paucarcancha), Ranrapata and Inkachimpa (Incachimpa).

Some of its little affluents are Llulluch'a River (Llullucha) from the left and Ch'urumayu (Churomayo) and Kiskamayu (Quesjamayo) from the right. Shortly before the Kusichaka River meets the Willkanuta River it flows along the archaeological site Patallaqta. The confluence of the rivers is between the villages Quriwayrachina (Qoriwayrachina) and Pincha Unuyuq (Pichanuyoc, Pinchaunuyoc).

The Kusichaka valley is an archaeologically important region in Peru, significant for the evidence that it has provided of Inca civilization. It was an agriculturally important part of the Inca empire.[6]

The valley has been the subject of intensive archaeological study over many years under the direction of Dr. Ann Kendall O.B.E., of the Cusichaca Trust.[7] Since its inception the trust has evolved and now also works with highland farming communities in the rehabilitation of abandoned systems of irrigation canals and agricultural terraces, along with the revitalization of other traditional technologies. Throughout the 80s and 90s numerous archaeological volunteers from Britain, Peru, N. America and other countries worked on the Cusichaca Project and as a result it is one of the most comprehensively studied areas of Peru [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sernanp.gob.pe Caracterización ecosistémica del SHM - Sernanp (pdf), (in Spanish)
  2. ↑ http://www2.congreso.gob.pe Plan Maestro de Machu Picchu
  3. ↑ Teofilo Laime Ajacopa, Diccionario Bilingüe Iskay simipi yuyayk'ancha, La Paz, 2007 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary)
  4. ↑ Diccionario Quechua - Español - Quechua, Academía Mayor de la Lengua Quechua, Gobierno Regional Cusco, Cusco 2005: Kusichaka - s. Arqueol. (Puente de la alegría).
  5. ↑ escale.minedu.gob.pe - UGEL map of the Urubamba (Cusco Region)
  6. ↑ Cameron, Ian (1990). Kingdom of the Sun God: a history of the Andes and their people. New York: Facts on File. pp. 207–210. ISBN 0-8160-2581-9.
  7. ↑ http://www.cusichaca.org/index.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.cusichaca.org/research.htm