Choquequirao, Topa Inca's Machu Picchu: a royal estate and ceremonial center

Abstract

We provide a history and description of the Inca archaeological complex of Choquequirao, located high on a narrow ridge above the Apurimac River in a remote region of the Vilcabamba of Peru. We suggest that Choquequirao was built as a royal estate during the late 15th century by the Inca ruler, Topa Inca Yupanki, modeled after Machu Picchu. It was built in part by workers imported from Cachapoyas in Northern Peru. The site has alignments with the June and December solstices suggesting a strong solar focus and year-round ceremonial activities. A large truncated hill served as a ceremonial platform or ushnu. The platform was accessed through a double-jamb entranceway, indicating that passage was probably limited to those of high status. We suspect Choquequirao functioned as a ceremonial center. It shares with Machu Picchu the remoteness, ‘other worldliness’, and liminality that are found in many pilgrimage centers of the world. Though Choquequirao, high above the Apurimac River, has a location that is equally as dramatic as Machu Picchu, it lacks the formable geological material required to create imperial-style monumental structures and shaped stone huacas. Choquequirao was occupied during the early colonial years by the Neo-Inca, and was abandoned sometime after the death of the last Inca in 1572. It is a fascinating puzzle that Spanish travelers of the time apparently never reached or described this major Inca complex, which was the most impressive in the Vilcabamba. Somehow, the Inca managed to keep it secret although relatives and others journeyed back and forth to colonial Cusco.