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Pikillacta Review
Read our Cusco and Machu Picchu sights reviews. Or post your own.
Pikillacta
- Address: Km 32, Hwy. to Urcos, Cusco
- Phone: No phone
- Category: Archaeological Sites
- Location: Cusco
Fodor's Review:
About 9 km (5 1/2 mi) down the highway from the Tipón turnoff stands the haunting ruins of Pikillacta, a vast city of 700 buildings from the pre-Inca Wari culture, which flourished between AD 600 and 1000. Like other Andean cultures, the Wari empire -- which at its height stretched from near Cajamarca to the border of the Tiahuanaco empire based around Lake Titicaca -- had a genius for farming in a harsh environment and built sophisticated urban centers such as Pikillacta, the "place of the flea" in its indigenous language. The Waris' capital was at Ayacucho, but little is known about the empire. The rough ruins, once enclosed by a defensive 3-meter (10-foot) wall whose remains are still visible, confirm the Inca superiority in architecture and masonry. They are spread over several acres and include many two-story buildings, which were entered via ladders to doorways on the second floor. At the thatch-roofed excavation sites, you'll see uncovered walls that show the city's stones were once covered with plaster and whitewashed. Across the road lies a beautiful lagoon, Lago de Lucre.
- Cost: Boleto Turístico
- Open: Daily 7-6
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