UJ #14 - Qhapac Ñan

HUANUCO PAMPA
THE CENTER OF THE CHINCHAYSUYO
This is the most imposing archaeological site
in the department of Huanuco.
Christian Declercq / KM Cero
Huanuco Pampa is located at a plateau at 3,600 m.a.s.l. It
is one of the most important administrative centers of the
Inca Empire, which marked half of the way between the
current Tomebamba (Quito, Ecuador) and Cusco (Peru), in
the Chinchaysuyo region.
The constructions occupied up to 800 hectares, but only
some buildings impressive enough to show their relevance
in the Tahuantinsuyo have been left due to the neglect and
little conservation work performed in the past. The exquisite
carved stone work is a sign of it.
The ushnu is the main building, a ceremonial platform
on which the Inca performed official rites before the
residents gathered on the main square. The complex also
has kallankas, large rooms used for meetings or to lodge
high officials of the empire; the Inca baths and the colcas
to store products.
Archaeologist Luis Enrique Paredes, Director of the Huanuco
Pampa Comprehensive Project, ensures that this complex
“can be considered one of the most imposing complexes of the
Tahuantinsuyo,” and compares favorably to similar complexes
in Cusco. Due to the enhancement and conservation since
the beginning of the comprehensive project in 2007, the
number of visitors quadrupled reaching 9,900 last year.
The work of the archaeologists goes hand in hand with
that of the community, seeking a common goal: to attract
more interest from the tourists in Huanuco Pampa, both
for its historical importance and for the ancestral traditions
maintained by the neighboring communities.
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