Marcahuasi

Stone head in Marcahuasi

Marcahuasi (also: Markawasi , Spanish pronunciation: [maɾkaˈwasi]) is a plateau in the Peruvian Andes , 60 km northeast of Lima in the Callahuanca district . It is located in a mountain range that rises on the right bank of the Río Rímac . This mountain range dominates the landscape at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level. The place is known for the curious pareidolia shapes of human faces and animals that are visible in the granite rock .

The plateau is of volcanic origin. The place has been revered for millennia and was first explored by Daniel Ruzo in the 1950s.