Ventanillas de Otuzco

The ventanillas are burial niches cut into a soft volcanic rock face - hundreds of small square openings, some single, some in clusters and galleries, arranged across the cliff in rows that give the whole face the look of a honeycomb or a wall of windows, which is where the name comes from. They were made by the Cajamarca culture, probably between around 300 and 800 AD, as collective tombs; the remains were removed long ago by looters and by later clearance, so the niches are empty. Some retain traces of carved decoration around the openings. The site is small, close to the city and easy to reach, and it is often combined with the Baños del Inca thermal springs on the same road. A larger and much less visited group of the same kind exists at Combayo, further up the valley.

What you actually see

• The niches - hundreds of small square burial openings across a cliff face.
• The galleries - clustered and multi-level groups within the rock.
• The Cajamarca culture - collective tombs from roughly 300 to 800 AD.
• The carving - traces of decoration around some of the openings.

When to go

May to September for dry weather. Forty-five to ninety minutes. Easily combined with Baños del Inca on the way back to Cajamarca.

Honest expectations

Small and quickly seen; the niches are empty and there is little interpretation. Climbing on the face is prohibited and damages the rock. Vendors at the entrance. The Combayo site is larger but much harder to reach.

Nearby

Baños del Inca is on the road back; Combayo is further up the valley.