RAQCHI
Price: to consult.

EXITS: Every Day.
PERIOD: The Whole Year.

SUMMARY :

The architectural complex of RAQCHI is one of the most important constructions in the Empire of the Inca, characterized by its stranger and architectural extraordinary technique, completely different from the other constructions of the Inca. However, it is very not very well-known for national tourists and foreigners.

ITINERARY :

It is in a very near place to the Community of Raqchi, located in San Pedro's district, of the County of Canchis, of the department of Cusco. It is to the right margin of the river Vilcanota, at a distance of 118 kilometers to the southeast of the city of Cusco. Their altitude is of 3,480m.s.n.m.

For the traveler it is easy to arrive until this impressive place, since using the highway that goes from Cusco to Puno, (approximately. hours) finds a deviation of only a kilometer, a sign that allows its opportune location existing.
Most of their territory is occupied by great quantity of lava transformed into rocks, originated by the eruption of the volcano Kinsachata, being the rest of their territory used for the agriculture.

It is about a small town, of approximately 80 homes whose residents take a precarious life producing ceramic and working the earth for their car family consumption, being celebrated the Folkloric Festival that you/they carry out every year, every third Sunday of the month of June, where they make their presentation numerous dances of diverse places, with their typical gears.

According to the last carried out investigations, the archaeological mentioned park has an approximate area of a thousand hectares, because outside of the Inca gigantic wall that protects the park, they are also some constructions like aqueducts, underground tombs and enclosures of the culture preinca.

The complex was built in different periods. One of the sectors was built during the reign of Inca Wiracocha, according to the Inca columnist it points out it Garcilaso de la Vega. Later on another stage was built between 1439 and 1471, during the government of Pachacútec, and, finally, the third stage built it, according to Cieza of León, Inca Túpac Yupanqui, among 1471 and 1493.

Inside their functions, they highlight the nun, since bill with a sanctuary or pilgrimage center to surrender cult to Wiracocha that was considered as supreme god, creator of the Sun, the Moon, the stars, the animals, the plants and the human beings. Administratively, Raqchi is located strategically in the frontier of two wide regions, the Quechua ones and the aymaras (Cusco and Collao).

It was a center of storage of foods coming from different places, also existing in their complex, wide textilería shops and ceramic.

In the military aspect, the existence of the house of the chasquis and the Inca gigantic wall that it protects the one mentioned archaeological center, he/she makes suppose that it was used as much as center of the Inca (chasquis) mail, like it stops training of the imperial army.

I recommend them to know this impacting citadel, our ancestors' inheritance that contrary to many other archaeological complexes, it was built on a base of stones, with stone walls and mud and that unaccountably it is not very visited by the scarce publicity that he/she receives.