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| Choquekirao | |
|---|---|
| Name | Choquekirao |
| Caption | Ruins at Choquekirao |
| Location | Apurímac Region, Peru |
| Built | Late Horizon (Inca period) |
| Epochs | Inca Empire |
| Culture | Inca |
| Management | Ministerio de Cultura (Peru) |
Choquekirao Choquekirao is a highland archaeological complex in the Apurímac Region of southern Peru associated with the Inca Empire, located on a ridge above the Pampas River valley. The site forms part of a network of fortified and ritual settlements that includes Machu Picchu, Choquequirao, Vitcos, and Maukallacta, and it is situated within landscapes used historically by the Inca road system and contemporary communities near Cusco, Abancay, and Ayacucho. Rediscovered and documented in the 20th century, Choquekirao has attracted attention from scholars studying Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, José de la Riva-Agüero, and modern heritage agencies such as the Instituto Nacional de Cultura (Peru) and the Ministerio de Cultura (Peru).
Choquekirao sits on a steep ridge in the high Andean zone of the Apurímac Region near the boundary with the Cusco Region and overlooks tributaries of the Apurímac River. The site is accessible by foot via trails that connect to the Inca Trail variants, linking to settlements such as Machu Picchu Pueblo, Santa Teresa, Peru, and Aguas Calientes, and to contemporary nodes like Abancay and Sicuani. Access routes traverse ecosystems protected under regional initiatives similar to those for Santuario Histórico Machu Picchu and pass through areas managed by local municipalities, indigenous communities, and regional offices associated with the MINCETUR and Ministerio de Cultura (Peru). Reaching Choquekirao often involves multi-day treks from hubs linked by air routes to Jorge Chávez International Airport and land corridors toward Cusco and the Valle Sagrado de los Incas.
Archaeological attention to Choquekirao intensified as scholars compared it to sites studied by figures such as Hiram Bingham III at Machu Picchu, Paul Fejos in Peru, and later archaeologists including John Rowe and Waldemar Espinoza Soriano. Investigations relate the site to Inca administrative patterns recorded in colonial chronicles by Pedro Cieza de León, Garcilaso de la Vega, and Bernabé Cobo, and to ethnohistorical analyses by William H. Prescott and John Hemming. Modern fieldwork has involved teams from universities like the Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco, the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, and international collaborations with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, University of Cambridge, and University of Chicago. Conservation and mapping initiatives have been supported by the World Monuments Fund and bilateral projects similar to those between Peru and Spain or France.
Choquekirao contains terraces, plazas, stairways, and drainage systems comparable to those at Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, Pisac, and Tipón. The complex includes administrative sectors reminiscent of Qorikancha layouts and ritual precincts with features analogous to huacas described in colonial sources by Francisco de Xerez. Hydraulic engineering at Choquekirao parallels projects at Tipón and Moray, while storage structures mirror the colcas seen near Pisac and Willka T'ikra. Artifactual assemblages recovered by excavators evoke material culture cataloged in museum collections such as the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Arqueología e Historia del Perú and the British Museum, with ceramics comparable to typologies established by Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff and Max Uhle.
Stonework at Choquekirao exhibits mortared and ashlar masonry traditions found across Andean architecture, with construction techniques that recall works at Sacsayhuamán, Machu Picchu, and Tipón. Urban planning reflects Inca principles of axiality and terrace integration similar to designs described in studies by Claudio Pineda and María Rostworowski. Builders adapted to seismic conditions through polygonal and trapezoidal doorways and niches comparable to those documented in publications by John H. Rowe and Tom Zuidema. Construction phases show continuity with pre-Inca occupations studied at Wari and Chavín de Huántar, as well as later adjustments during the colonial period reported by Antonio de la Calancha.
Choquekirao likely functioned as a ceremonial center within the cosmology of the Inca religion, connecting celestial and terrestrial pathways akin to the ritual networks of Machu Picchu, Coricancha, and Q'enqo. Practices at the site may have included pilgrimages comparable to rites described for Inti Raymi and seasonal observances tied to solstice alignments recorded in chronicles by Cristóbal de Molina. The complex's location and vistas correspond with Andean concepts of Apu worship and landscape veneration studied by scholars like John V. Murra and Catherine Julien. Material remains suggest offerings and feasting activities paralleling evidence from Machu Picchu and sacrificial contexts discussed in analyses by Gordon Willey and Kim MacQuarrie.
Preservation efforts at Choquekirao involve protocols promoted by the Ministerio de Cultura (Peru) and guidelines similar to UNESCO advisory practices observed at Machu Picchu and Chan Chan. Sustainable tourism plans reference management models developed for Santuario Histórico Machu Picchu, Huascarán National Park, and community-based tourism programs in the Sacred Valley. Challenges include erosion, looting, and visitor impact issues addressed through policies akin to those of the World Heritage Committee and initiatives by NGOs such as the World Monuments Fund and Global Heritage Fund. Collaborative strategies engage local communities, regional governments like the Gobierno Regional del Apurímac, academic partners including the Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de Huamanga, and international conservationists to balance heritage protection with economic development seen in projects supported by multilateral donors such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union.
Category:Archaeological sites in Peru Category:Inca sites Category:Apurímac Region