Qorikancha

Qorikancha, the golden enclosure, was the most important temple of the Inca state - the sun temple at the centre of Cusco from which the ceque lines radiated across the empire, its walls sheathed in gold plate, with a courtyard said to hold life-size gold and silver models of plants and animals. The gold went to Cajamarca in 1533 as part of Atahualpa's ransom and was melted. The Spanish gave the site to the Dominicans, who built the convent of Santo Domingo on top, and the result is the clearest architectural statement of the conquest anywhere in Peru: colonial arcades and a baroque church standing directly on Inca ashlar walls of extraordinary precision, curved on the western side, still perfectly true. Earthquakes in 1650 and 1950 damaged the colonial structure heavily while the Inca walls beneath stood, which is a point every guide makes and which the photographs of 1950 support.

History

First called Intikancha or Intiwasi, the temple was dedicated to Inti, the sun, and Pachakuti Inca Yupanqui rebuilt it with plates of fine gold. In 1533, when the Spanish demanded a ransom in gold for Atahualpa, most of it came from here, and the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo were later built on the temple's foundations (Wikipedia, Coricancha).

What's there

• The Inca walls - fitted ashlar, including the curved western wall, still exact.
• The convent above - Santo Domingo built directly onto the temple foundations.
• The chambers - restored temple rooms with their original trapezoidal doorways.
• The earthquake record - Inca walls standing where the colonial fabric fell in 1950.

When to go

April to October. Mornings are quieter. One to two hours. Note this needs its own ticket - the Boleto Turístico covers the adjacent site museum, not the temple.

Good to know

The ticket confusion catches people out - two different tickets for two adjacent things. Busy with groups through the middle of the day. The gold is long gone; what remains is stonework. Photography rules vary by room.

Nearby

The Plaza de Armas is a few blocks north; the Hatun Rumiyoc wall is east.

Key facts