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Choquequirao (Southern Quechua: Chuqi K'iraw, Cradle
of Gold) is a partly excavated ruined city of the Inca in the south of
Peru. It bears a striking similarity in structure and architecture to
Machu Picchu and is referred to as its 'sister'. Choquequirao receives
far fewer tourists than its sister but the ruin is no less delightful
and is a good alternative to the sometimes overcrowded Machu Picchu.
The ruins at Choquequirao are comprised of buildings and terraces at
different levels from the lower level Sunch'u Pata to the truncated hill
top. The hill top has been leveled and ringed with stones to form a
platform of 30x50 meters wide.
LOCATION:
Choquequirao (3,085 m) is situated amongst the spurs of the Salkantay
Mountain Range in the Province La Convención in the Region Cusco above
the Valley of the river Río Apurímac. The entire complex encompasses
1,800 hectares of which 30-40% is uncovered.
HISTORY:
The site was most likely built during the reign of the Inca king
Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui or Pachacutec and is considered to be the last
bastion of resistance and refuge of the Sons of the Sun who fled from
the city of Cusco when it was under siege in 1535. Led by Manco Inca
Yupanqui or Manco Qhapac II they took refuge in Choquequirao.
Presumably it was used as a check point for access to the Vilcabamba
Area and as a cultural and religious center for the region. The city
also played an important role as a link between the Amazon Jungle and
the city of Cusco.
DISCOVERY:
According to Ethan Todras-Whitehill of the New York Times,
Choquequirao's first non-Incan visitor was the explorer Juan Arias Díaz
in 1710. The first written reference to the site dates to 1768 and was
made by Cosme Bueno, but was ignored for the time being. In 1834 Eugene
de Santiges rediscovered the site. In 1837 Leonce Agrand mapped the site
for the first time, but his maps were soon forgotten. When Hiram Bingham,
the discoverer of Machu Picchu, visited Choquequirao in 1909 the site
gained more attention. The first excavations started some decades later
in the 1970s.
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