Rumicolca

Monumental stone gateway located 31 km southeast of Cusco, originally built by the Wari culture (c. 550-900 AD) and later enlarged by the Inca. The structure functioned as a checkpoint on the royal road to Collasuyo, one of the four regions of Tahuantinsuyo. Walls reach up to 12 metres (39 feet) high. The Inca reinforced sections with precisely cut and fitted andesite stonework over the older Wari foundations. Situated adjacent to Pikillaqta, the largest known Wari provincial center, near Lake Huacarpay. One theory holds the original structure served as a Wari aqueduct.