Sóndor

Sóndor rises above Laguna Pacucha as a stepped hill, terraced in concentric rings with a long stone stairway climbing to a platform and a pyramid-like summit structure called Muyu Muyu. The site is associated with the Chanka, the confederation that dominated this part of the Andes and whose war with the Inca in the fifteenth century is one of the founding episodes of Inca history: the defence of Cusco against a Chanka army is the event that, in the chronicles, transformed Pachacuti into an emperor and launched the expansion. What is on the ground is harder to attribute cleanly, with Inca-period construction over earlier occupation, and the Chanka archaeology of this region is still being worked out. The view from the top takes in the lake and the whole basin. Each June the district stages the Sóndor Raymi, a large re-enactment festival on the site.

What you actually see

• The terraced hill - concentric rings climbing to the Muyu Muyu platform.
• The stairway - a long stone flight to the summit structure.
• The Chanka connection - the confederation whose war with the Inca shaped both.
• The view - Laguna Pacucha and the Andahuaylas basin below.

When to go

April to October. The Sóndor Raymi festival is held in June and fills the site. One to two hours, usually with Laguna Pacucha below.

Honest expectations

The climb is steep at over 3,200 metres. Little shade and strong sun. Attribution to the Chanka is more complicated than the signage suggests, with Inca-period building on top. Facilities are minimal outside festival days.

Nearby

Laguna Pacucha is below; Andahuaylas is south-west.