Choquequirao

Choquequirao is a 16th-century Incan site in the Cusco Region of southern Peru. Often called the "sister city" of Machu Picchu due to its similar structure and architecture, the site consists of an extensive complex of buildings and agricultural terraces built around the Sunch'u Pata, the truncated hill top, on a steep mountainside overlooking the Apurímac River. The ruins are situated in the Santa Teresa district (La Convención province) at an elevation of 3,050 metres (10,010 ft) in the rugged Vilcabamba mountain range. The site overlooks the Apurimac River canyon that has an elevation of 1,450 metres (4,760 ft). The complex covers an area of about 1,800 hectares, though only 30–40% has been excavated. It served as a ceremonial center, an administrative hub, and a checkpoint controlling access to the Vilcabamba region. It is renowned for its sophisticated stone masonry, water channels, and unique white stone mosaics of llamas built into its terrace walls. After the Spanish conquest, it became one of the last strongholds of Inca resistance led by Manco Inca Yupanqui. The site can only be reached by a two-day hike from outside Cusco.