Chinchero is a town in the district of the same name, belonging to the province of Urubamba at 3772 meters above sea level, and is part of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Chinchero was occupied by the Killke and Inca cultures, it was also the birthplace of Mateo Pumacahua who participated in the rebellion of Cusco in 1814.
Chinchero was the foundation of the Inca Tupac Yupanqui, in which he erected his residence with shrines, baths, terraces and his great royal palace. The chroniclers relate that his ruler died unexpectedly. The archaeological site of Chinchero is formed by pre-Hispanic roads, ceremonial enclosures, terraces, water channels, huacas, among others and in turn the archaeological site is divided into an urban sector consisting of residential type rooms for the nobles linked to the local population that corresponds to the terraces. Throughout the years it takes diverse buildings of the Inca, colonial and republican time. In it we mention the temple of the lady of Natividad, whose initial was the lady of Monserrat, the temple has many goods in paintings, sculptures, altarpieces, altars, etc.
In the monumental zone we can find the house of Mateo Pumacahua and structures of viceregal and republican order, Chinchero has a number of cultural expressions, with knowledge and techniques that are transmitted from generation to generation in the art of textiles in representation of fabrics that maintain symbols of the Inca culture with pigments in natural colors. During the year there are festivities of major celebration such as Corpus Christi, Cruz Velacuy and the feast of the Virgin of Nativity.
Chinchero was declared Cultural Patrimony of the Nation in 2002.
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TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF CHINCHERO
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF CHINCHERO
The archaeological site of Chinchero was an urban center in Inca times, during the period of the Inca Tupac Yupanqui, in this place is this perfect place to build his Panaca (royal palace) for the excellent strategic location with Cusco, the archaeological site of Chinchero has terraces, shrines, baths, and its great royal palace in which today stands the temple of the Virgin of Nativity.
Also within the archaeological site we can find 3 Inca shrines carved in limestone outcrops with designs of seats, staircases, cupboards, water channels dedicated to a religious purpose whose names were Titiqaqa, Pumaqaqa and Chincana which are outcrops of limestone carved in relief art with zooform representations.
The terraces of Chinchero are built in trapezoidal shape and were used for agricultural production in Inca times.
The archaeological site or park of Chinchero has a planning system of Inca architecture, formed by a ceremonial sector of wide platform, in which the colonial church is located.
A wall of 12 niches that ornament the site’s plaza.
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
All the areas of buildings on platforms respond to the conditions of the land, which was used for cultivation, taking into account the topography of the land where we can find water channels, blind water drains, sunderground channels, drains.
An agricultural sector with incoming and outgoing staggered and pyramidal shape, having a civil and religious order of the Inca social elite with a fine finish.
CONDORQAQA TERRACES
Located northeast of the main square with drainage channels, ordinary masonry architecture of polygonal type built of limestone lithic material, joined with mud mortar, in this sector of platforms is a small gradient access room that enters the lower part of the same enclosure.
KUSILLUCHAYOQ TERRACES
These terraces are located northeast of the main square, its structure of platforms that are distributed longitudinally and transversally, mixed masonry finish of ordinary edged and limestone stones together with mud mortar, and is distributed in 6 platforms and is associated with rocky outcrops that have sittings and designs of zoomorphic figures in high relief of monkeys and condor which comes from the name of Kusilluchayoq.
KILLAPATA TERRACES
It is located in the upper part of the old Qhapacñan road, where there is a set of platforms distributed vertically and horizontally of polygonal masonry and that are linked to use in agriculture and containment.
INCA FOUNTAIN SECTOR OF TERRACES
The Inca fountain sources corresponds to a group of platforms that is located at the height of the Queuñahuacco ravine, consisting of 3 platforms, it is associated with the main huaca, a place of enough vegetation of native plants such as the Queuñas, mutuy shrubs, laulli, kantu, sinchu, etc.
CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN OF NATIVITY
The church of our lady of the Nativity is located where the palace of the Inca Tupac Yupanqui used to be. The initial name was Our Lady of Monserrat, a construction of the seventeenth century, at the request of Viceroy Toledo of Spain, the temple has a tendency of Inca and Hispanic architecture, among the religious works that presents the temple inside is the mural of the Virgin of Monserrat and paintings of the defeat of Tupac Amaru in his indigenous revolution of the colonial era.
CHINCHERO SITE MUSEUM
The site museum of Chinchero created in 1996, is located in the same main square, has 2 exhibition halls where lithic pieces, textiles, ceramics, agricultural tools, typical clothing of Chinchero, paintings of the seventeenth and seventeenth century and finally samples of the latest findings of the same archaeological site of Chinchero are exhibited.
HUAYPO LAGOON
The Huaypo lagoon is located at 3507 meters above sea level in the province of Urubamba, 29 minutes from Chinchero.
The Huaypo lagoon is surrounded by the chain of mountains that surround the sacred valley such as the snow-capped mountains of Chicon and La Veronica, this lagoon is the scenery for its beautiful waters and its landscape that involves a lot of magic and mysticism.
The main activities that take place in the lagoon are fishing and boat rides.
PIURAY LAGOON
The Piuray lagoon is located west of the district of Chinchero, 31 kilometers from the city of Cusco. The lake is located in the high part of the Sacred Valley of the Incas at 3435 meters above sea level, from this point you can see the snow-capped peaks of La Veronica, Soray and Salkantay.
Its name comes from the ancient legend of Manco Capac where he asked the sun god that his twin children accompany him in his twilight, when the time came his son left with the farthest way becoming the Huaypo lagoon and his daughter in the Piuray lagoon.
TOURIST FESTIVITIES OF CHINCHERO
The festivities of Chinchero are activities that take place every year where the inhabitants of the area show their religious customs through native dances, pilgrimages, masses, processions, which are carried out at a certain date.
CARNIVAL FESTIVITY
This festivity is celebrated in the month of February and is organized by the artisan women of Chinchero with the presentation of autochthonous dances, and it is also organized by the inhabitants of the area. This festivity is carried with the cutting of a tree which presents a number of gifts, bringing down the compa of dances and music.
FESTIVITY OF VELADA DE CRUZ
This festivity is carried out on May 3rd of each year, in which the varayocs (major authority of a town) participate, who are in charge of watching over the cross during the whole night and then take it to the agricultural lands to be blessed.
CORPUS CRISTY FESTIVITY
The festivity of Corpus Cristy takes place at the end of May or the beginning of June, it involves dance troupes that make their pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Lord of Koyllorrity in a three-day trip and then on the fourth day to celebrate the feast of Corpus Cristy along with troupes and dances.
FESTIVITY OF THE VIRGIN OF NATIVITY
This festival is held every September 7th of each year with the participation of the Chinchero community together with the stewards of all the comparsas (group of dancers) in which they present their dances with parades through all the arteries of the town of Chinchero, and this festival lasts until September 10th with the participation of the entire population for the blessing of the patron saint of the district.
