The South of Cusco was a very important area for the development of the Inca Empire! Around 30 km in the South of Cusco you will find the city Tipon, which was a very important religious center for the ancient Incas and is equipped with a great irrigation system! Also, you will be able to explore a pre-Inca metropolis, an extraordinary planned urban city called Piquillaqta, where you will see apartments, parks and a great temple.
The ruins of Tipon show how the Incas reached an impressive development in their architecture, especially in their hydraulic construction of well-built canals. The inhabitants of Tipon built a long tall wall just to install a unique aqueduct. Some of the canals are still being used to provide the inhabitants of the area with water. Tipon is located 23 km southeast of the Inca Capital Cusco at a height of 3560 m.a.s.l., and was generally an important area for the development of the Inca Empire! Apart from the irrigation system, Tipon was very well-known as a religious center.
You will explore the pre-Inca metropolis Piquillapta as well, where you will discover ancient apartments, parks, and a temple. Further in the South of Cusco, we will find a colonial town called Andahuaylillas, famous for its main cathedral pan de oro, “Sistine Chapel of America”, which is beautifully decorated with frescos on the walls and ceiling.
This tour will take half a day, approximately 5 hours.
Day 1 |
We will pick you up at 08:30 am at your hotel in Cusco and start our journey while driving through the city, passing the new areas that the locals call Modern Cusco as well as San Sebastian and San Jeronimo. Leaving Cusco towards the south, we will see smaller towns on both sides of the valley and then arrive at the archaeological site of Tipón. This Inca city is a great place to observe an impressive hydraulic engineering system! Even in spite of the years, the channel constructions and the liturgical sources are still intact. The great temple of Tipon was very important for the Andean cosmos and religion. You will also enjoy the sound of the water designed for religious matters, as well as discover several royal chambers that were used by the famous Inca Wiraqocha. The type of architecture you will see here is well-known for its imperial style. Apart from the architecture, you will have some time to enjoy the amazing mountain scenery! After this, we will continue our journey to the pre-Inca metropolis Pikillaqta. The word Pikillaqta is a Quechua word, meaning lousy town (piki = lousy, llaqta = town), although it is also called “city of the fleas”. This city was one of the most impressive regional centers of the Wari Empire from Ayacucho (in the north of Cusco). The Waris, well-known as very brave warriors, extended their domain up to these areas, constructing Pikillacta as their center of politics, religion, and admiration in the south of their empire. The ancient city has the same structure as a modern city with streets, avenues, parks, temples, administration buildings, and large residential which are all surrounded by a very tall wall with a main control gate. In Pikillaqta exist more than 200 kanchas (apartments), 504 colcas (warehouses), and plenty of other constructions. The city must have accommodated a population of approximately 10 thousand people. All this makes us understand the importance of this pre-Inca city, which was occupied by the Incas for many years. Today, it is a national archaeological park of great importance and admiration! Afterward, we will visit Andahuaylillas, a small colonial village which is located on the street to Puno. The name of this village was Antawaylla (anta = barrel maker, waylla = prairie – both words united mean “coppery prairie”). At 3198 m (10490 feet), we can count on a good climate because of the surrounding mountains. We will observe a picture of the “Virgin of the Asunción”, painted by the Spanish painter Esteban Murillo. The paintings that decorate the bases, as well as a notable oil painting of the archangel San Miguel, are attributed to Luís de Riaño (17th century). On our way back, we will stop by a small town, for example, Huaro, where the wizards lived during the Inca times. Again, we will stop in Tipon where you may try one of the main traditional dishes of the region, the famous ‘Roasted Guinea Pig’ (Cuy). Then we will return to Cusco around 02:00 pm. |
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Note:
We recommend you buy the General Tourist Ticket that allows you to visit 15 places, including the ruins of Cusco and the museums. Otherwise, you can purchase a partial ticket which allows you to visit Tipon and Pikillacta and the museums in Cusco. This is in case you are not planning to visit any of the Sacred Valley or Cusco archaeological sites.
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Price US$ 100 per Person
Price is based on two people.
Private tour:
1 person US$ 200
2 persons US$ 100 pp
3 persons US$ 80 pp
4 persons US$ 75 pp
Over 5 persons US$ 60 pp
Exclusive international transaction fees: The amount of the extra transaction fees depends on how the payment is made and on your bank. For further information please don’t hesitate to ask.
Upon request, with each booked tour with Green Peru Adventures, you will receive a free walking tour of the mysterious and historic city of Cusco. You will be guided by one of our multilingual, professional guides.