Qenqo

Qenqo, from the Quechua for zigzag, is a large natural limestone outcrop that the Inca worked into a shrine. Channels cut into the upper surface run in zigzags down the rock and split at points, and the standard interpretation is that liquid - chicha, or blood - was poured at the top and the path it took down the branching channels was read. Steps, seats and niches are carved elsewhere on the outcrop, and a natural fissure has been enlarged into a chamber below with a carved block often described as an altar. Much of the surface carving was deliberately defaced during the colonial campaigns against Andean religion, which is why some features are hard to read. It sits on the circuit of sites above Cusco with Sacsayhuamán, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay, and takes half an hour.

What to look for

• The zigzag channels - carved runnels branching down the rock face.
• The chamber - a fissure enlarged beneath the outcrop with a carved block.
• The worked surfaces - steps, seats and niches cut into living stone.
• The damage - deliberate defacement from the colonial campaign against local religion.

When to go

April to October. Thirty to sixty minutes, normally as one stop of four on the circuit above Cusco. Early to avoid the mid-morning coaches.

Good to know

Small and quickly seen - many find it underwhelming after Sacsayhuamán. The interpretations offered by guides are speculative. At 3,600 metres. Crowded when tour groups arrive together.

Nearby

Sacsayhuamán is below; Puka Pukara and Tambomachay are further up the road.

Key facts