CHOQUEQUIRAO TREK

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CHOQUEQUIRAO TREK

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MACHU PICCHU'S SACRED SISTER, CHOQUEQUIRAO 4D/3N

CHOQUEQUIRAO CRADLE OF GOLD, TREK 8D/7N

Choquequirao Quechua name meaning "Golden Cradle," although this is probably not its original Inca name, the mysterious and dazzling Inca city of Choquequirao is located in the beautiful landscape of the Vilcabamba range over the Apurimac River Canyon, It is another "lost city of the Incas" located high on a ridge spur almost 1750m above the raging glacier-fed Apurimac River and surrounded by towering snow-capped peaks. According to historians, Choquequirao was the dwelling of the last rebel Incas of Vilcabamba, and like Machupicchu , the Spanish were thought never to have discovered it. Hiram Bingham visited the site in 1910. This was his first experience of "lost cities" prior to his discovery of Machu Picchu in 1911. This route offers us a formidable trek across diverse ecosystems. We will enjoy beautiful views of the snow-capped peaks of the Vilcabamba Range.

Choquequirao, considered the second Machu Picchu, is one of Peru’s recently-discovered archaeological and cultural treasures currently being prepared to opened to tourists from all over the world. To date, only 30% of the complex has been cleared for visits by Peruvians and foreigners alike, due to the fact the site has yet to undergo a rigorous scientific investigation.

The site was built during the reign of the Inca king Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui. It may be the last bastion of resistance and refuge of the Sons of the Sun who fled Cusco when it was under siege in 1535. Led by Manco Inca Yupanqui they took refuge in Choquequirao.

According to the Peruvian Tourism Office, "Choquequirao was probably one of the entrance check point to the Vilcabamba region, and also an administrative hub serving political, social and economic functions. Its urban design has followed the symbolic patterns of the imperial capital, with ritual places dedicated to the Sun (Inti) and the ancestors, to the earth, water and other divinities, with mansions for administrators and houses for artisans, warehouses, large dormitories or kallankas and farming terraces belonging to the Inca or the local people. Spreading over 700 meters, the ceremonial area drops as much as 65 meters from the elevated areas to the main square."

Presumably it was used as a check point for access to the Vilcabamba Area and as a cultural and religious center for the region. The city also played an important role as a link between the Amazon Jungle and the city of Cusco

Choquequiroa trek

This great construction is in the Cuzco region, on a wide Andean plateau in the province of La Convencion, Region Cuzco, in the middle of the Vilcabamba valley. Archaeologists assume it is one of the lost citadels of Vilcabamba, where the Incas sought refuge after 1536. Choquequirao is an extraordinary complex consisting of nine architectural stone groupings. It has hundreds of platforms, rooms and irrigation systems; it was built by the successors of Inca Pachacutec, Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1471 to 1493), or Wayna Capac (1493 to 1527). In this place domestic and ceremonial ceramics were used, both of the classic Cuzco style and those belonging to the permanent settlers, who were probably farmers experienced in building and exploiting agricultural platforms in the areas at the edges of the forest.

Located at 3,050 meters above sea level, on the border of the Department of Apurimac, the Choquequirao architectural complex was not built as a way-station; access to this place demands two days of hard marching along a precipitous Inca mountain road, the effort amply compensated for by the beauty of the surrounding landscape every step of the way.

Choquequirao consists of nine sectors, including the political and religious center, the system of fountains and canals with their aqueducts, and the doorway cluster. The religious and administrative nature of this complex should be stressed. The buildings are distributed around a central plaza and the whole is completed with a very well-preserved system of agricultural terraces that supported the citadel. The archaeological remains are distributed on the lower slopes of Mt Choquequirao, grouped together in small neighborhoods, somewhat separated from each other, following an assumed criterion of rank and social function. The ceremonial area is in the section named "Plaza Principal" (the Main Plaza), whereas the upper part of the complex features a series of sophisticated buildings.

The first mention of Choquequirao appears thanks to a study of the town of Cachora, the starting point of historian Cosme Bueno's 1768 expedition. However, its existence was only disclosed in the 19th century by the Frenchmen Eugene de Santiges (1834) and Leonce Angrand (1847). The site was subsequently forgotten until in 1911 Hiram Bingham, accompanied by inhabitants of the area, visited it and drew attention to its importance. Clearing and excavation work commenced in the nineteen seventies.

Choquequirao trek

The ruins were first visited and described to the western world by a French explorer during the 18th century. Hiram Bingham visited the site in 1910. This was his first experience of "lost cities" prior to his discovery of Machu Picchu in 1911. The remoteness and inaccessibility have discouraged visitors until fairly recently when COPESCO constructed a footbridge over the Apurimac River below the ruins. Even today the ruins are still rarely visited although, with the enforcement of new regulations on the Inca Trail, Choquequirao is destined to replace the traditional hike as the serious trekkers alternative.

CHOQUEQUIRAO TREK PROGRAMS

MACHU PICCHU'S SACRED SISTER, CHOQUEQUIRAO TREK 4D/3N

CHOQUEQUIRAO CRADLE OF GOLD TO MACHU PICCHU TREK 8D/7N

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