The huge Inca gate of Rumicolca is built on Wari foundations. The cruder Wari stonework contrasts with the Inca blocks. It’s interesting to see indigenous people working with the mud that surrounds the area’s swampy lakes – the manufacture of adobe (mud bricks) is one of the main industries of this area.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.36 MILES
This wonderful new museum takes visitors into the world of the fascinating pre-Colombian civilizations that came before the Inca. It acknowledges the…
-
19.47 MILES
This newish museum exhibits 360 pieces from Machu Picchu taken by Hiram Bingham's expeditions and recently returned by Yale University, including stone…
-
20.4 MILES
An excellent way to explore the fascinating Inca cosmovision. They defined constellations of darkness as well as light, used astronomy to predict weather…
19.57 MILES
A squatter on the site of Viracocha Inca’s palace, the cathedral was built using blocks pilfered from the nearby Inca site of Sacsaywamán. Its…
19.34 MILES
If you visit only one Cuzco site, make it these Inca ruins forming the base of the colonial church and convent of Santo Domingo. Once the richest temple…
-
20 MILES
This immense ruin of both religious and military significance is the most impressive in the immediate area around Cuzco. The long Quechua name means …
-
17.21 MILES
A truly awesome site with relatively few tourists, this hilltop Inca citadel lies high above the village on a triangular plateau with a plunging gorge on…
-
19.62 MILES
In Inca times, the plaza, called Huacaypata or Aucaypata, was the heart of the capital. Today it’s the nerve center of the modern city. Two flags usually…
Nearby Cuzco & the Sacred Valley attractions
0.93 MILES
Meaning ‘the Place of the Flea,’ Piquillacta is the only major pre-Inca ruin in the area. Built around AD 1100 by the Wari culture, it’s a large…
4.13 MILES
Dating from the 17th century, this Jesuit church houses many carvings and paintings, including a canvas of the Immaculate Conception attributed to Esteban…
4.18 MILES
The eclectic Museo Ritos Andinos has somewhat-random displays including a mummified child, an impressive number of deformed craniums and possibly an alien…
6.41 MILES
A demonstration of the Incas’ mastery over their environment, this extensive Inca site consists of some impressive terracing at the head of a small valley…
16.75 MILES
A private enterprise with a huge courtyard full of beautiful specimens and a resident cat.
6. Horno Colonial San Francisco
16.8 MILES
Huge clay ovens for baking empanadas and other goodies are found in many nooks and crannies, particularly on Mariscál Castilla. But this is the town’s…
16.82 MILES
Pisac is known far and wide for its market, by far the biggest and most touristy in the region. While there are still some local arts and crafts of note,…
8. Iglesia de San Pedro Apostol
16.83 MILES
Traditionally dressed locals descend from the hills to attend mass in Quechua, including men in highland dress blowing horns, and varayocs (local…