Marpa, Peru

Marpa is a ruined pre-Hispanic town in the Cotahuasi Canyon in southern Peru's Andes, one of the world's deepest canyons at around 3,400 metres deep. The ruins straddle both sides of the river and feature terraced fields, amphitheaters, and burial towers (chullpas), remarkably well-preserved due to the arid climate. The Inca road through the canyon may follow an older route built by the Wari culture (c. 500-900 AD), who constructed terraces on the canyon's steep slopes. Declared a Zona Reserva Turistica in 1988, Marpa remains largely unstudied.