Tuesday, January 07, 2020

We visit Tipon and Pikillaqta

Tipon and Pikillaqta are Inca and Huari archaeological sites respectively, located 20 kms west of Cusco and included on the Boleto Turistico.

The transit app Moovit gave us some very good info on how to catch the Los Leones public bus from near our apartment all the way to the plaza in Tipon, thus negating the need to hire a taxi from the main road to Tipon.

From the Tipon Plaza we walked up the paved road towards the site, then headed up the newly renovated and not officially open (it turns out) trail up to the site. Steep.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Great views down to Tipon.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Whoops. We've made it all the way up to the site so there's no option but to step over the orange net. ;-)
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon is a very large site. Lots of irrigated terraces, canals, and other waterworks.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

First we followed a university group up to the Intiwatana (ritual calendar stone) and adjoining irrigation canals.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Above the Intiwatana there is an aqueduct with a small channel, and a small reservoir.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

The builders of Tipon had not discovered arches so the water flows across this small ravine atop an earthen wall.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Sun-Ling atop the Intiwatana.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

View back to Tipon.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Like the terraces in this photo, much of the site has not yet been excavated.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

We head down the Inca road to the terraces.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Very elegant terraces with a working irrigation system fed by a 3-tiered ceremonial fountain.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Inca Fountain - Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

2 x 15 second videos of the irrigation system at work.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

The lower part of the site.
Tipon Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

We taxied back down to the main road and caught a Urcos-bound bus 10kms west to Pikillaqta a large Huari (Wari) archaeological site was a ceremonial center laid out on a grid with an imposing perimeter wall enclosing hundreds of one and two story buildings.
Pikillaqta - Wari Culture Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Walking along an outer wall.
Pikillaqta - Wari Culture Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Pikillaqta - Wari Culture Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Pikillaqta - Wari Culture Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Pikillaqta - Wari Culture Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru

Ceremonial building.
Pikillaqta - Wari Culture Archaeological Site - Cusco, Peru






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