Inti Watana, Ayacucho

Inca elite retreat and ceremonial complex at 3,126 m elevation beside Lake Pumaqucha ("Puma Lake" in Quechua) near Vischongo, Vilcas Huaman Province. The 3,000 m2 complex features an Intihuatana sundial stone used for astronomical observation, a palace built for Inca nobility, a semicircular defensive tower (Torreon), a Sun Gate, and Inca baths with a 13-angled stone still standing after 500+ years. Mortarless stone construction and a hydraulic canal system feeding the lake remain functional to this day. Declared National Cultural Heritage of Peru in 2001.