September - 2023
Pikillaqta - Peru
Pikillaqta is an archaeological site from the pre-Inca era, one of the most important cultist-administrative centers of the Wari culture, dating back to the 6th to 9th centuries. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 inhabitants lived in this city, which was highly developed for its time.
The site is a remnant of a well-planned city with around 700 buildings, 200 plazas, and 508 warehouses arranged along main avenues, side streets, and external walls reaching up to 12 meters that surrounded the entire enclosure. Numerous structures, particularly the walls, still stand to this day.
Despite the ruins dating back about a thousand years, the local nature breathes life into the environment, adding color to the stones and their surroundings.
Certainly, what is most impressive about Pikillaqta are its long streets and avenues that cross the entire expanse of the city, along with the ingenious arrangement of the structures.
Near Pikillaqta is the village of Andahuaylillas. The main local attraction is its central square and the Church of Saint Peter, the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, built in the late 16th century.
