- Address: Villa San Blas, Cusco, Peru
- Height above sea level: 3500 m
- Date of construction: about 1500 AD.
The ancient culture of the Incas in Peru is revered by our contemporaries. There are many places of interest in the country, including Machu Picchu , Nazca desert , Paracas National Park , Coricancha temple , etc. Another archaeological site of that era is the Kenko ritual center located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas . Let's find out what is interesting for this place for tourists.
What to see in Kenko?
The name of this place - Kenko - in Quechua sounds like Q`inqu, and in Spanish - Quenco, and translates as "labyrinth." Such a name Kenko got thanks to winding underground galleries and zigzag channels. But the name of the temple before the conquest of Peru by the Spanish conquistadors, unfortunately, is not known.
The temple itself is interesting for its architecture, typical of Inca civilization. It is built, or rather, carved into a rock in the form of a small amphitheater. On the slope of a small mountain there is a complex of four temples, in the center of which there is a rectangular pedestal of 6-meter height, on which a stone slab is erected. It is interesting that the ray of the sun hits its summit every year on June 21. Near these buildings there is an even platform where numerous frog bones were found. Perhaps the sanctuary in Kenko served the Incas, including for conducting medical experiments.
Inside the temple of Kenko there is a table for sacrifices with characteristic zigzag depressions for the draining blood. All the rest of the space is tangled passages and corridors, really resembling a labyrinth. In addition, there is absolute darkness: the temple was built in such a way that no beam of natural light came here. On the inner walls of this structure are inscribed the ancient sacral symbols, and in the walls there are niches for the storage of mummies.
On the walls of the construction of Kenko, you can distinguish the images of snakes, condors and pumas. These animals were considered by the Indians as sacred, here below them, most likely, three levels of the universe are meant: hell, heaven and ordinary life. But most, perhaps, interesting - this is still not unraveled purpose of the ancient sanctuary. On this account, scientists put forward several versions: Kenko could be a religious center, an observatory or a temple of medical science. And perhaps he combined all these functions or had for the Incas a completely different, unknown to us value.
How to get to the Kenko temple in Peru?
Sanctuary of Kenko is located just a few kilometers from the central square of the famous Cuzco . To get there, you need to climb the mountain of Socorro, towering over the city. You can do it on foot or hire a taxi.
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