Vilcashuamán
An Inca administrative center with a five-tiered stepped ushnu platform and a church built on the foundations of the Temple of the Sun and Moon.
Vilcashuamán lies southeast of Ayacucho and was once an important administrative and religious center of the Inca Empire, linking Cusco with the north. In the town center, the Temple of the Sun and Moon retains fine Inca stone walls, on which the Spanish built a Catholic church, combining old and new. Not far away, the ushnu is a five-tiered stepped stone platform, and the pair of stone seats on its top is said to have been the throne of an Inca ruler. It is about 3–4 hours' drive one way from Ayacucho on winding mountain roads, and is usually visited as a chartered-car or tour day trip. The site sits at about 3,500 meters above sea level, so be mindful of altitude sickness.
Opening hours
Open all day (site open during daytime)
Nearby sights
- Millpu
- Mirador de Acuchimay
- Santa Teresa Church & Monastery
- Barrio de Santa Ana
- Plaza de Armas de Ayacucho
- Arco del Triunfo & San Francisco de Asís
- Mercado Andrés F. Vivanco
- Ayacucho Cathedral