Q'enqo,
Qenko,
Kenko,
or Quenco
(all from
Quechua
Quechua may refer to:
*Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru
*Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...
for "zig-zag")
[Teofilo Laime Ajacopa, Diccionario Bilingüe, Iskay simipi yuyayk'ancha, Quechua – Castellano, Castellano – Quechua (Quechua-Spanish dictionary)] is an archaeological site in the
Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley of the Incas (; ), or the Urubamba Valley, is a valley in the Andes of Peru, north of the Inca capital of Cusco. It is located in the present-day Peruvian region of Cusco. In colonial documents it was referred to as the "Vall ...
of
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
located in the
Cusco Region
Cusco, also spelled Cuzco (; ), is a department and region in Peru and is the fourth-largest department in the country, after Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto. It borders the departments of Ucayali on the north; Madre de Dios and Puno ...
,
Cusco Province,
Cusco District
Cusco is a Districts of Peru, district in the northern Cusco Province within the Cusco Region of Peru. It is bordered by districts of Ccorca District, Ccorca and Poroy District, Poroy on the west, the provinces of Anta Province, Anta, the Calca Pro ...
,
about 6 km north east of
Cusco
Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department.
The city was the cap ...
. The site was declared a Cultural Heritage ''(Patrimonio Cultural)'' of the Cusco Region by the National Institute of Culture.
It is one of the largest
huaca
In the Quechuan languages of South America, a huaca or wak'a is an object that represents something revered, typically a monument of some kind. The term ''huaca'' can refer to natural locations, such as immense rocks. Some huacas have been asso ...
s (holy places) in the Cusco Region. Many ''huacas'' were based on naturally occurring rock formations. It was believed to be a place where sacrifices and mummification took place.
A tunnel runs inside the huaca with a large gutter on one side, leading to a room containing a ceremonial table with niches on either side. The discovery of many bones within the gutter leads experts to believe this room was the site of ritual sacrifices. One of the niches was used to place mummies while another contained a large silver plate which reflected the sun's rays into the room.
Gallery
File:Qenko-1.jpg
File:Qenko-2.jpg
File:Qenko-3.jpg
File:Qenko-4.jpg
File:Qenko-5.jpg
File:Altar_subterraneo.JPG, Underground shrine
See also
*
Amaru Marka Wasi
Amaru Marka Wasi, Amarumarcahuasi or Amaromarcaguaci also known as (possibly from Quechua ''amaru'' snake, ''marka'' village, ''wasi'' house)Diccionario Quechua - Español - Quechua, Academía Mayor de la Lengua Quechua, Gobierno Regional Cusco, ...
References
External links
Archaeological sites in the Department of Cusco
Archaeological sites in Peru
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