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Choquequirao is a 16th-century Incan site in the Cusco Region of southern Peru.

Often called the "sister city" of Machu Picchu due to its similar structure and architecture, the site consists of an extensive complex of buildings and agricultural terraces built around the Sunch'u Pata, the truncated hill top, on a steep mountainside overlooking the Apurímac River. The ruins are situated in the Santa Teresa district (La Convención province) at an elevation of 3,050 metres (10,010 ft) in the rugged Vilcabamba mountain range. The site overlooks the Apurimac River canyon that has an elevation of 1,450 metres (4,760 ft). The complex covers an area of about 1,800 hectares, though only 30–40% has been excavated. It served as a ceremonial center, an administrative hub, and a checkpoint controlling access to the Vilcabamba region. It is renowned for its sophisticated stone masonry, water channels, and unique white stone mosaics of llamas built into its terrace walls. After the Spanish conquest, it became one of the last strongholds of Inca resistance led by Manco Inca Yupanqui. The site can only be reached by a two-day hike from outside Cusco.

The name Choquequirao is generally believed to come from the Aymara and Quechua languages.

Choquequirao is a 15th- and 16th-century settlement associated with the Inca Empire, or more correctly Tahuantinsuyo. This could be explained if Pachacuti founded Choquequirao and his son, Tupac Inca Yupanqui, remodeled and extended it after becoming the Sapa Inca. Choquequirao is located in the area considered to be Pachacuti’s estate; which includes the areas around the rivers Amaybamba, Urubamba, Vilcabamba, Vitcos, and Apurímac. Other sites in this area are Sayhuite, Machu Picchu, Chachabamba (Chachapampa), Choquesuysuy (Chuqisuyuy), and Guamanmarca (Wamanmarka); all of which share similar architectural styles with Choquequirao. The architectural style of several important features appears to be of Chachapoya design, suggesting that Chachapoya workers were probably involved in the construction. Colonial documents also suggest that Tupac Inca ruled Choquequirao since his great grandson, Tupa Sayri, claimed ownership of the site and neighboring lands during Spanish colonization. It was one of the last bastions of resistance and refuge of the Son of the Sun (the "Inca"), Manco Inca Yupanqui, who fled Cusco after his siege of the city failed in 1535. According to the Peruvian Tourism Office, "Choquequirao was probably one of the entrance check points to the Vilcabamba, and also an administrative hub serving political, social, and economic functions.

In 1973, historian Lorenzo Huertas made an important contribution to the history of Choquequirao by publishing the Memorial of Spanish explorer Juan Arias Díaz in 1710, which mentions for the first time the existence of the settlement as one of the four Inca cities located in the Vilcabamba area. Bingham decided to visit Choquequirao in 1909 to determine if it was Vilcapampa, the Capital of the last four Incas.

Located on the east side of Choquequirao, this zone contains cultivation terraces that have markedly greater amplitude than all others throughout the complex.

The ceremonial center of Choquequirao shares many features similar to those of other Inca ceremonial centers and pilgrimage sites, such as Isla del Sol, Quespiwanka (Qhispi Wank'a, palace of Huayna Capac), Machu Picchu/Llaqtapata, Tipon and Saywite. The long and treacherous route from Cusco to Choquequirao likely passed by Machu Picchu, leading onto the face of Machu Picchu Peak.

The area around Choquequiaro contains several subsectors that have been associated with the Inca culture that thrived in Choquequirao, suggesting that the subsectors are most likely part of the site. Like Choquequirao art style, the subsector also contains multiple camelid art and ceremonial phaqchas that are tightly related to Inca, especially Pachacuti’s government.

This style of design is uniquely Chachapoya and not found in other sites of Inca construction, indicating that workers from Chachapoya may have been involved in the construction of Choquequirao.

Quick Facts

• It is renowned for its sophisticated stone masonry, water channels, and unique white stone mosaics of llamas built into its terrace walls.
• After the Spanish conquest, it became one of the last strongholds of Inca resistance led by Manco Inca Yupanqui.
• Other sites in this area are Sayhuite, Machu Picchu, Chachabamba (Chachapampa), Choquesuysuy (Chuqisuyuy), and Guamanmarca (Wamanmarka); all of which share similar architectural styles with Choquequirao.
• The site can only be reached by a two-day hike from outside Cusco.
• Choquequirao is located in the area considered to be Pachacuti’s estate; which includes the areas around the rivers Amaybamba, Urubamba, Vilcabamba, Vitcos, and Apurímac.

Source material: Wikipedia - "Choquequirao". Adapted and summarized for DiscoverScroll. Original contributors are credited through the linked Wikipedia article. Read original on Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes were made from the original.