El Shincal de Quimivil

El Shincal de Quimivil was built in the late fifteenth century as a regional capital of the Inca empire at its southern edge, and it is the most complete Inca site in Argentina. Its plan is unmistakably imperial: a huge rectangular plaza with a raised ushnu platform at its centre for ceremony, storehouses ranged on the slopes, residential compounds, and two conical hills to east and west that were levelled and terraced with stairways to the top, almost certainly for ritual tied to the sun's movement. Climbing either hill gives the clearest view of the layout and of how deliberately the site was placed in the landscape. A museum at the entrance sets out the excavation work, which continues, and the relationship between the Inca and the local Diaguita people.

What you actually see

• The great plaza - the vast ceremonial square with its central ushnu platform.
• The twin hills - terraced conical hills with stairways on both sides of the site.
• The storehouses - ranks of Inca storage buildings on the slopes.
• The site museum - excavation finds and interpretation at the entrance.

When to go

April to November for cooler walking; the site is exposed and summer midday heat is punishing. Morning light is best for the plaza. Guided visits, when available, add a great deal to what is otherwise a field of low walls.

Honest expectations

Most structures survive as foundations and low walls, so the imperial scale is easier to grasp from the hills than at ground level. There is little shade and the climbs are steep. The site is quiet, with few facilities beyond the museum.

Nearby

Londres village and Belén lie north; the RN40 runs on toward La Rioja in the south.