Twelve-Angled Stone & Hatun Rumiyoc Street
Piedra de los Doce Ángulos
A masterpiece of Inca stonework: a large stone with 12 corners fits so tightly with the surrounding blocks that it is set into the wall of an Inca palace.
Hatun Rumiyoq Street (in Quechua, 'Big Stone Street') connects Plaza de Armas with the San Blas district. The stone walls along the street originally belonged to the palace of Inca Roca. Today, behind those walls are the Archbishop's Palace and the Museum of Religious Art. On one wall, a large diorite stone is cut with 12 angles. It fits so tightly with the blocks around it, without mortar, that a blade cannot be slipped between them. It is considered a symbol of Inca stonemasonry and even appears on the label of a Peruvian beer. The walls are free to view. Costumed men dressed as Inca rulers often pose for photos for a fee. You can also visit the Museum of Religious Art on the way, though it requires a religious art pass.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Museo Machu Picchu – Casa Concha
- Museum of Pre-Columbian Art (MAP)
- Cusco Cathedral
- Museo Inka
- Church of the Society of Jesus, Cusco
- San Blas
- Plaza de Armas, Cusco
- Basilica and Convent of La Merced, Cusco