Vilcashuamán

Vilcashuamán was a major Inca administrative centre at the crossing of two arms of the Qhapaq Ñan, and chroniclers describe a city of substance with a great plaza said to hold tens of thousands. Two structures dominate what is left. The ushnu is a stepped pyramid of four terraces in fitted stone with a stairway and a double-jambed doorway at the top, where a stone seat - the usnu proper - stood; it is the best-preserved structure of its kind anywhere, and it was from platforms like this that the Inca presided over ceremony and judgement. Facing it, the Temple of the Sun and Moon survives as the base of the colonial church of San Juan Bautista, which was built directly on top of the Inca walls, so the two are physically one building. The modern town has grown around and over the rest of the site.

What you actually see

• The ushnu - a four-terrace stepped pyramid, the best preserved in the Inca world.
• The temple and church - a colonial church built directly on the sun temple walls.
• The road junction - the meeting of two arms of the Qhapaq Ñan.
• The town - a modern settlement built over most of the Inca city.

When to go

May to September. Two to three hours on site, but the drive from Ayacucho is about four hours each way, so allow a full day or stay overnight.

Honest expectations

A long rough drive from Ayacucho on winding road. Much of the Inca city is under the modern town and not visible. Accommodation and food in Vilcashuamán are basic. At 3,470 metres and cold.

Nearby

Intiwatana de Pomacocha is close; the Titankayocc puya forest is near Vischongo.