Qenqo is an Inca archaeological center located on the outskirts of the city of Cusco, is famous for its subway tunnels. according to history, it is said that Qenqo was an Inca enclosure where religious ceremonies were held. it is also known as the forest of Qenqo, the original name is not known the Spanish gave the name of Q “inqu, Quechua word meaning labyrinth, and the subway galleries in the form of labyrinth located in the city of Cusco 2 km from the city.
Qenqo: An enigma of the Inca Empire
The archaeological complex consists of a complex of subway galleries, canals and a semicircular amphitheater type structure. The area visited by tourists is Qenqo Grande (or Hatun Q “enqo), while Qenqo Pequeño (Huchuy Q ”enqo) is off-limits to visitors.
In the 16th century, the Spanish tore down many of the stone structures to reuse them for their own colonial buildings. This has made it difficult to discover the original purpose of the site.
History of the Archaeological Complex of Qenqo
The Archaeological Park of Qenqo, comes from the Quechua word “Qenqo” and can be translated as “Zig-zag” or “labyrinth”, began to be built in the government of the Inca Pachacutec in the fifteenth century, was the Inca Huayna Capac who gave the final touch in the first century this shrine is located in what is now known as the Socorro hill and covers a little more than 3500 square meters, In Inca times it is said that it was a center dedicated to ritual and are of particular interest, or shrine, in this place there are several narrow passages carved with care in the stone, crossing them was like the way between the world of the living and the underworld of the dead according to the Incas.
Main Attractions of Qenqo
The archaeological complex of Qenqo has the following attractions:
- The Intiwatana and Astronomical Observatory: located at the top, Intiwatana is a Quechua word that means “Where the Sun is tied” it is said that the Amautas used to measure time and it is presumed that it was a kind of astronomical observatory, to establish the seasons, solstice and equinox times.
- The Hall of Sacrifices: It is a subway chamber at a deeper level, which has carved floor, ceiling and walls, tables and cupboards in a single gigantic rock, may have been used to embalm corpses of Inca nobles with dried apricots, or as a place of human sacrifice, flames and fire.
- The Zigzagging Channel: Located very close to the Intiwatana, in this site we will see a small hole in which the Zigzagging Channel is born and moves down in an inclined plane and broken line, which then bifurcates, one of these branches led the liquid to the subway chamber or room of sacrifices according to the historian Victor Angles. The liquid could have been consecrated chicha or blood of sacrificed beings.
- It is a huge semicircular area of 55m long, with 19 incomplete niches distributed around the amphitheater as seats, according to research is likely to have been bases of a great wall, located in each of them, the representation of an entity to which he rendered worship.
Qenqo and the Andean Cosmovision
The Incas had their own way of seeing the world, giving answers to the questions that man poses, the conception of the Incas was a long process of evolution of thought that the Andean Man made since the beginning of the formative period, as an idea and appreciation of the world and people, after which they contemplate and reveal their natural and cultural environment, a sacred connection between humans and Nature and the cosmos.
These are governed by 4 fundamental principles: Complementarity, reciprocity, correspondence and relationality that allow the connection of all elements.
Qenqo, is part of a place where they stand out for being a place of ritual, a place where the Incas worshiped the Sun God and Pachamama.
How to get to Qenqo Archaeological Complex
You can get there by car or on foot.
In a private mobility it will take you 10 minutes to get from the center of the city.
In a shared mobility and in tourist service it will take you 4 hours and you will not only visit Qenqo but also the parks that are around, this service leaves every day.
Walking from the center of the city will take you 40 to 1 hour minutes depending on the pace of walking you have.
Location and Access
It is located 4 kilometers from Cusco’s Main Square, at 3,580 meters above sea level, on a paved road northeast of the city of Cusco.
Hours and Prices
Visiting hours are from Monday to Sunday from 08:00 am to 17:30 pm.
The entrance ticket to Puca Pucara is included in the Tourist Ticket.
Foreign Tourist Ticket: S/. 130.00 soles allows you to enter 16 places and is valid for 10 days, or the Partial Tourist Ticket S/. 70.00 soles allows you to visit 4 places including the Archaeological Park of Puca Pucara.
Ticket for National Tourist: S/ 70.00 soles allows you to enter 16 places and is valid for 10 days, or the Partial Tourist Ticket S/ 40.00 soles allows you to visit 4 places including the Archaeological Park of Qenqo.
Tips for the Visit
To Visit the Archaeological Park of Puca Qenqo:
- Cusco Tourist Ticket (General or partial).
- Identity card.
- Comfortable shoes, ideal for walking.
- Hat, sun hat, sun block lotion.
- Camera.
- Water.
