Raqch'i

Raqch'i is an Inca archaeological site in Peru located in the Cusco Region, Canchis Province, San Pedro District [1]. It is 3480 meters above sea level and 110 kilometers from the city of Cuzco [1]. The Inka site at Raqch'i was a primary control point on a road system that originated in Cusco and expanded as the Inka empire grew [1]. Raqch'i is located on a prominent ridge overlooking the surrounding valley which provides a natural defensive position [1]. The most prominent structure is the Temple of Wiracocha, an enormous rectangular two-story roofed structure that measures 92 metres by 25.5 metres [1]. That is the biggest kallanka of the Inca Empire [1]. This structure consists of a central adobe wall some 18 to 20 meters in height with an andesite base [1]. To the eastern side of the temple are 152 round qullqas in parallel lines, each measuring some 10 metres in diameter [1].