Pikillaqta
Pikillaqta
4
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Willowbroom Sam
Houston, TX1,385 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
A huge town surrounded by big walls. Per the guide, this was pre Inca, I.e. the Wari dynasty. A beautiful princess of the town said she would marry the person who got water to the village. Two men competed and one was successful in getting water from the huanatay lake. One can see two channels in the mountains.
The town was built like a perfect rectangle with rectangular homes and absolutely straight pathways/ walkways. Almost three floor high walls and homes.
The guide told us that seven columns were found and each column had the skeleton of a man. And that this was an honor for the men to give up their lives for building the erect columns.
Gypsum plastering is found in walls and floors. Sh was also found leading tk the belief that the volcanic mountain behind the city may have erupted making the people abandon the place.
He told me that the place was eventually used by Incas as a concentration camp for prisoners.
A visit with a tour guide is a must. Otherwise one will just see some old broken ruins and cannot appreciate the history.
The town was built like a perfect rectangle with rectangular homes and absolutely straight pathways/ walkways. Almost three floor high walls and homes.
The guide told us that seven columns were found and each column had the skeleton of a man. And that this was an honor for the men to give up their lives for building the erect columns.
Gypsum plastering is found in walls and floors. Sh was also found leading tk the belief that the volcanic mountain behind the city may have erupted making the people abandon the place.
He told me that the place was eventually used by Incas as a concentration camp for prisoners.
A visit with a tour guide is a must. Otherwise one will just see some old broken ruins and cannot appreciate the history.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
patrick d
Calais, France8,334 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Little attended, we were the only visitors. Entrance included to the “Boleto touristico” Archaeological site of the 6th century, located approximately 45km from Cusco. The place had around 10,000 inhabitants, which explains the vast dimensions of the site. There is not much left of the houses and buildings and it takes a lot of imagination to imagine what the daily life of the inhabitants was like. However, it is a pleasant walk in the middle of the Andean mountains. Allow 1 hour to 2 hours for the visit. Museum on site.

Written October 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Erika
Caracas, Venezuela9,906 contributions
Mar 2022
This is a walled city built before the incas. It seems small at the beginning but the complex is very big and impressive. You can spend 4 hours exploring.
Take protection because the sun is very heavy.
Entrance fee is included in the tourist ticket.
Take protection because the sun is very heavy.
Entrance fee is included in the tourist ticket.
Written April 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maarten D
58 contributions
Feb 2020 • Solo
After some 30 minutes driving from Cusco lies this place. I find it less impressive than Sacsaywaman or Machu Picchu. There are some stone walls and the area is nice but that's all. If you have a boleto touristico you can use it to get entrance to this site. Otherwise you have to pay approximately 70 SOL.
Written February 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Magor_K
Cluj-Napoca, Romania904 contributions
Nov 2019
You just cannot miss this ruin town in Sacred Valley. They say it was the city the constructors of the Inca Empire had their inspiration to build terraces and not just as fortification of the walls but also to create agricultural lands on terraces. Make sure you have a good guide, walking shoes and water, there is plenty to see and lots of clues about the architecture you could miss when going by yourself or have a superficial guide. Not as crowded as other ruins, you can walk around, observe and take pictures in a large area.
Written December 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wldtravels
florida249 contributions
Aug 2019
Size: (Note: this site is also called Pikillacta) This site is huge--and it is pre-Incan (which typically means it became part of the Incan Empire but was built before that time...although this site seems to be more pre-Incan than Incan).
Condition: It is a site of ruins, with a small museum (included with the entrance ticket) worth a walk-through that has interesting dinosaur bones/displays and some information about the site/area. Because it is a site of ruins, it takes some imagination to envision what it must have been like. Some of the areas are being restored to help bring it to life and show more of its glory, but the ruins give a historic and old feel that I enjoyed. I really liked this area because it was not crazy crowded like every other site at this time of year since it was at the south end of the Cusco Valley in the opposite direction of Machu Picchu and the other Cusco/Sacred Valley archeological sites. It was easy to explore without crowds and so massive, it was hard to see it all if you want to be thorough.
Entrance Fee: This site was included in the 16-attraction tourist ticket (along with Rumicola, the gateway across the highway)
Timeline: This was pre-Incan (Wari?), but Rumicola was more pre-Incan and Incan
Access and mobility requirements: There are no special handicap accesses at this site so if mobility is an issue, this site would be tricky to see. The ground is dirt and stone and while some of the paths might be smooth dirt, they are uneven and follow the curve of the natural ground with occasional large rocks embedded along the path. People with mobility limitations would not find it easy to navigate most of this area.
Nearby sites: This site is across the highway from Rumicola, the pre-Incan, then Incan access control point (gateway) to the Cusco Valley. To get to it from Cusco, you will also pass Tipon, a large unique pre-Incan and Incan site with impressive and unique water/irrigation channels and fountains and a very strategic location tucked out of site at the top of some mountains.
Can you do this on your own? This site requires a car to get to because it is about an hour drive from Cusco. If you have transportation, you can go there on your own. Parking is not currently a problem at this site (as of the date of this writeup).
Restrooms? Unfortunately, I do not remember if there were restrooms in the museum or not, but Rumicola did NOT have a restroom. If there is one, remember 2 things: always bring your own hand sanitizer and toilet paper in case they run out (or don’t have any soap), and you do not flush your toilet paper in Peru. You place it in the trash can next to the toilet. This might sound awful, but it prevents the toilet from clogging, which would be worse for everyone.
Overall Suggestion for the Visit: This was well worth visiting (Rumicola, Piquillacta and Tipon) if you have the time (half-day) and transportation to get to the Southern Valley. It might be the only true pre-Incan ruins in the area. I liked it better than the Tambo Machay/Puka Pukara site, but they (Tambo Machay/Puka Pukara) were nearer to Cusco and right next to Saqsaywaman which was a must see while in Cusco.
The disappointments:
- All the sites in this area have unique attributes but the information available and provided either at the site (signs, maps, descriptions, etc), or about the location (pamplets, tourist centers, etc) are VERY limited. Because of this, it is almost impossible to know what you are seeing or where the important areas are without the use of a guide. While it is possible to see this site on your own, it would be hard to get the most out of your visit unless you have a VERY good and detailed guide book or you use a guide. We had a guide for our half day trip to the area and found it very worthwhile. Especially since on our own we would have thought this was an urban center, but it turns out that it was more of a ceremonial center. Likewise, Rumicola had some very unique engineering features we would have missed, like the aqueduct channel running along the top of the entire gate wall.
Condition: It is a site of ruins, with a small museum (included with the entrance ticket) worth a walk-through that has interesting dinosaur bones/displays and some information about the site/area. Because it is a site of ruins, it takes some imagination to envision what it must have been like. Some of the areas are being restored to help bring it to life and show more of its glory, but the ruins give a historic and old feel that I enjoyed. I really liked this area because it was not crazy crowded like every other site at this time of year since it was at the south end of the Cusco Valley in the opposite direction of Machu Picchu and the other Cusco/Sacred Valley archeological sites. It was easy to explore without crowds and so massive, it was hard to see it all if you want to be thorough.
Entrance Fee: This site was included in the 16-attraction tourist ticket (along with Rumicola, the gateway across the highway)
Timeline: This was pre-Incan (Wari?), but Rumicola was more pre-Incan and Incan
Access and mobility requirements: There are no special handicap accesses at this site so if mobility is an issue, this site would be tricky to see. The ground is dirt and stone and while some of the paths might be smooth dirt, they are uneven and follow the curve of the natural ground with occasional large rocks embedded along the path. People with mobility limitations would not find it easy to navigate most of this area.
Nearby sites: This site is across the highway from Rumicola, the pre-Incan, then Incan access control point (gateway) to the Cusco Valley. To get to it from Cusco, you will also pass Tipon, a large unique pre-Incan and Incan site with impressive and unique water/irrigation channels and fountains and a very strategic location tucked out of site at the top of some mountains.
Can you do this on your own? This site requires a car to get to because it is about an hour drive from Cusco. If you have transportation, you can go there on your own. Parking is not currently a problem at this site (as of the date of this writeup).
Restrooms? Unfortunately, I do not remember if there were restrooms in the museum or not, but Rumicola did NOT have a restroom. If there is one, remember 2 things: always bring your own hand sanitizer and toilet paper in case they run out (or don’t have any soap), and you do not flush your toilet paper in Peru. You place it in the trash can next to the toilet. This might sound awful, but it prevents the toilet from clogging, which would be worse for everyone.
Overall Suggestion for the Visit: This was well worth visiting (Rumicola, Piquillacta and Tipon) if you have the time (half-day) and transportation to get to the Southern Valley. It might be the only true pre-Incan ruins in the area. I liked it better than the Tambo Machay/Puka Pukara site, but they (Tambo Machay/Puka Pukara) were nearer to Cusco and right next to Saqsaywaman which was a must see while in Cusco.
The disappointments:
- All the sites in this area have unique attributes but the information available and provided either at the site (signs, maps, descriptions, etc), or about the location (pamplets, tourist centers, etc) are VERY limited. Because of this, it is almost impossible to know what you are seeing or where the important areas are without the use of a guide. While it is possible to see this site on your own, it would be hard to get the most out of your visit unless you have a VERY good and detailed guide book or you use a guide. We had a guide for our half day trip to the area and found it very worthwhile. Especially since on our own we would have thought this was an urban center, but it turns out that it was more of a ceremonial center. Likewise, Rumicola had some very unique engineering features we would have missed, like the aqueduct channel running along the top of the entire gate wall.
Written August 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue S
Bishops Stortford, UK207 contributions
Sep 2019
This settlement is vast and predates the Inca times. The stone work is so good, the different areas are easy to walk round, though its best to wear good shoes as ground is rather uneven. The interpretative boards are interesting but you get more from a visit here is you have a guide who can explain the many areas to you. It is every bit as interesting as the more popular Inca sites, and a little off the beaten track. We only saw a handful of visitors on the day we went. It was so peaceful with amazing views.
Written October 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AMsays
Thornhill, Canada5,200 contributions
Nov 2018
This is a Wari cultural site that dominated during the period 550 – 1000 AD. From here, this culture spread through much of Peru using military force. This site is categorized by village streets built on a grid system, connecting settlements. From my vantage point, I found them to be extraordinarily straight. Remnants of rectangular buildings in other parts of this complex show them also built on a grid system. Our guide also talked about evidence linking this society to “Compassionate Cannibalism”. This site is not very well visited, does not have great facilities, so be prepared. Despite that, it is worth your time.
Written October 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DrhermanK
Benoni, South Africa1,250 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
This is a big site and not really too much to see. The ruins are old and very broken. The size of the site is huge and you should read up on the history before visiting. The small museum is something to see as there is the bones of a dinosaur very well preserved to see. The dress up of the Wari warrior is also interesting.
Written July 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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