Q'enqo - Archaeological Complex

DESCRIPTION

What remains today of the Q'enqo Archaeological Complex are carved rocks that could not be destroyed by the Spaniards, little is left of the Inca enclosures such as trails, aqueducts, deposits and liturgical baths.

LOCATION

What remains today of the Q'enqo Archaeological Complex are carved rocks that could not be destroyed by the Spaniards, little is left of the Inca enclosures such as trails, aqueducts, deposits and liturgical baths.

ATTRACTIONS

The complexes we have described were, without a doubt, very important sanctuaries for the Incas. In spite of the destruction suffered by this complex during the colonial period, what can be seen inside it today is still impressive and colossal.

The Hall of Sacrifice

Subway chamber, made in the inner, lower portion of the great rock, in such a way that floors, ceiling, walls, tables, and cupboards are carved in a single gigantic rock. It is said that this subway chamber could have been used to embalm corpses of the orejones, as a place for human sacrifices and llamas.

Intiwatana and Astronomical Observatory

Located in the upper part of the great rock, constituted by two stony prominences of cylindrical form that stand upright on a quasi-elliptical pedestal, all in situ carved in the upper part of the rock. The use of the intiwatanas (where the sun is tied) during the Inca period is still an enigma. It is presumed that it was a kind of astronomical observatory, which the Hamautás used to measure the time, to establish the seasons, to determine the solstices and equinoxes, and also, as an Adoratory where they worshiped the Sun, the Moon, Venus and the stars.

The Zigzagging Canaleta

It is on the great rocky area and very close to the Intiwatana. The zigzagging channel starts from a small hole and moves downward in an inclined plane and broken line, which then bifurcates, one of these branches led the liquid to the subway Chamber or Sacrifice Room (according to the historian Victor Angles). The liquid could have been consecrated chicha or blood of beings sacrificed to the gods.

El Anfiteatro

It is a huge semicircular area of 55 m. long, with 19 incomplete niches, distributed along the wall. During the Inca period, this place was a temple for public ceremonies. In front of the free area, there is a large stone block of 6 m. high that rests on a solid rectangular pedestal. It has niches distributed around the amphitheater as seats, but according to recent research, it is very likely that they were actually the bases of a large wall, located in each of them, the representation of an entity to which they worshiped.

SCHEDULE

Hours from Monday to Sunday: 08:00 to 17:30 hours. 

Price: Entrance included in the Tourist Ticket.

Cusco Tourist Ticket for foreign tourists: S/. 130.00 (US$ 36 approx.) allows entry to 16 tourist sites, valid for 10 days.

Cusco Tourist Ticket for National Tourist: S/. 70.00 (US$ 20 approx.) allows the entrance to 16 tourist sites, valid for 10 days.