Choquequirao

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Choquequirao

Choquequirao (also: Choquequirau ) is an only partially excavated ruined city of the Inca in southern Peru . Because of the similarity in structure and architecture, it is also called “Sister Machu Picchus ”.

location

Choquequirao is located at 3085 meters above sea level on a mountain at the foothills of the Salcantay mountain range surrounded by snow-capped peaks in the extreme south of the Santa Teresa district in the province of La Convención , Cusco region , Peru, above the Río Apurímac . The complex can only be reached by walking several days, which is why it is only visited by a negligible number of tourists compared to Machu Picchu.

history

The complex was probably built in the 15th century during the rule of the Incas Pachacútec and is considered the last bastion of the resistance of the Sons of the Sun, which after the failed siege of Cusco in 1537 under the rebel leader Manco Cápac II. Between the walls of this site Sought refuge. It was probably a checkpoint for access to the Vilcabamba triangle and the cultural and religious center of the region. In addition, the city is ascribed an important role as a link between the Amazon jungle and Cusco.

Lama representation in a stone wall

investment

Choquequirao is laid out in the terrace construction typical of the Inca . Around a central square are temples and government buildings, as well as the houses of the aristocrats. The houses of the rest of the population are grouped into small villages in the outskirts. The city has numerous canals, aqueducts and fountains. Most of the buildings are surprisingly well preserved.

The entire complex covers around 1,800 hectares, of which 30–40% have been excavated to date. In the east of the main square are the Lama Terraces, where llamas are depicted in the dark terrace walls with light stones. There is a vantage point from which the arrangement of the lama images can be clearly seen. In 2009 the excavations had not progressed far enough to capture the possibly existing structure of the images. In the south of the main square there are extensive terraces in front of a steep, deep abyss and a cascade of waterfalls. A good 3 hours to the north are further terraces with partially intact irrigation systems.

Naming

Since the Inca did not know any script and the city was forgotten for a long time, the original name has not been passed down. The name Choquequirao comes from the Quechua language and is a creation of modern times. It means something like "cradle of gold"

discovery

There are first written evidence from the year 1768 by Cosme Bueno , which, however, largely went unnoticed. Eugene de Santiges rediscovered the city in 1834 . In 1837 Leonce Agrand drew up the first known maps of the city, which were then forgotten again. The site became better known in 1909 through Hiram Bingham , one of the discoverers of Machu Picchu. Max Uhle wrote the first scientific report .

The first excavations did not take place until the 1970s. By then the city had long been looted.

literature

in order of appearance

  • Manuel González de la Rosa: A propos de la redécouverte de la ville antique de Choquéquirao sur la rive droite de l'Apurimac (Pérou) . In: Journal de la Société des Américanistes de Paris. New series, Volume 5, 1909, pp. 262–264.
  • Julihno Zapata: Incas, dioses y sociedad . Fondo contra-valor Perú-Francia, Lima 2004.
  • Gori Tumi Echevarría López: Choquequirao. Un estudio arqueológico de su arte figurativo . Hipocampo Editores, Lima 2008, ISBN 978-6-03-452056-1 .
  • Mario Meza Bazán (Author): Choquequirao. Símbolo de la resistencia Andina . Institut français d'études andines, Lima 2015, ISBN 978-2-8218-4426-1 .

Documentary film

  • Thomas Aders : Sieger, Sagen, Sonnentempel - The rediscovery of Peru's past , approx. 58 min, broadcast by 3sat on June 26, 2011.

Web links

Commons : Choquequirao  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Winfried Schumacher: Trek to the ruined city of Choquequirao. Machu Picchu's sister . On: spiegel.de/reise from December 28, 2016; accessed on August 26, 2020.
  2. ↑ Manuel González de la Rosa: A propos de la redécouverte de la ville antique de Choquéquirao sur la rive droite de l'Apurimac (Pérou) . In: Journal de la Société des Américanistes de Paris. New series, year 5, 1909, pp. 262 and 264.
  3. ^ Recommended film by the Latin America Information Center , accessed on June 27, 2020.

Coordinates: 13 ° 24 ′  S , 72 ° 52 ′  W