Wilcahuaín

Wilcahuaín is a Wari-period building from around 900 AD, modelled on the temple at Chavín de Huántar and remarkably well preserved: three storeys of stone construction with the original roofing slabs still in place, internal galleries and small chambers, ventilation ducts running through the walls, and projecting stone heads that once studded the exterior. The chambers were used for burials. Its condition is what makes it worth the trip - very few pre-Inca buildings retain their roofs and interiors intact, and you can walk the galleries, low and dark, with a torch. A smaller structure, Ichic Wilcahuaín, stands nearby along with other remains. It is close enough to Huaraz to be a half-day outing, and the walk up through farmland and eucalyptus is pleasant, though it is a steady climb from 3,050 metres to around 3,400.

History

The name may come from the Quechua willka, "sacred", and wayi, "house". Wilcahuaín, 6 kilometres northeast of Huaraz at 3,400 metres, is regarded as one of the most important sites of the Wari culture and was possibly built around 1100 AD (Wikipedia, Wilcahuaín).

What you'll find

• The three storeys - original stone-slab roofs still in place after a thousand years.
• The galleries - low internal passages and chambers you can walk through.
• The Chavín model - a building consciously copying the older temple form.
• Ichic Wilcahuaín - the smaller companion structure nearby.

When to go

May to September for dry paths. One to two hours on site; two hours each way if walking up from Huaraz. Take a torch for the galleries.

Good to know

Interior passages are low, dark and cramped, with no lighting provided. The uphill walk is a real climb at altitude. Signage is sparse. Some chambers are closed off.

Nearby

Huaraz is below; Monterrey's thermal baths are on the road back down.

Key facts