Pikillaqta
An administrative city of the Wari culture, predating the Inca by centuries, with hundreds of neatly arranged stone houses in a grid. Few tourists visit.
Pikillaqta lies about 30 km southeast of Cusco. It was built around the 6th to 11th centuries CE and served as the administrative center of the Wari Empire in the Cusco region, several centuries before the Inca Empire. The ancient city covers about 50 hectares and consists of hundreds of houses, storehouses and courtyards built from rough stone. They are laid out on a strict grid plan, and some walls rise up to seven meters. The site demonstrates the urban planning skill of the Andes before the Incas. It is open and rarely crowded, and there is a small exhibition hall at the entrance. It is included in the BTC ticket and is usually visited together with Tipón and Andahuaylillas. You will need a hired car or a group tour to get there.
Opening hours
07:00–17:30
Nearby sights
- Church of San Pedro Apóstol, Andahuaylillas
- Tipón
- Qorikancha
- Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco
- Q'enqo
- San Blas
- Twelve-Angled Stone & Hatun Rumiyoc Street
- Museo Machu Picchu – Casa Concha