History
Huchuy Qosqo is located in a place where small human groups settled before the Incas. At the end of the 14th century, the Incas annexed this part of the Sacred Valley to their expanding territory. Then, the Inca Viracocha (also called Wiracocha) decided to build an urban enclosure that would serve as a palace for him and his family. It was then that he ordered the construction of Huchuy Qosqo, using materials such as stone and adobe.

At the beginning of the 15th century, Wiracocha chose Inca Urco as his successor. He was unable to govern well. Faced with the threat of the invasion of the Chancas (rivals of the Incas) to Cusco, Wiracocha and Inca Urco escaped to Huchuy Qosqo. Then, the figure of Pachacutec, Inca Urco’s brother, who managed to defeat the Chancas and expand the empire, grew. As a result, Pachacutec was named Inca emperor, achieving a great expansion of the empire that came to include the current territories of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and Argentina

According to some chronicles, the body of Wiracocha was mummified in Huchuy Qosqo. After the invasion of the Spaniards in Cusco, at the beginning of the 16th century, they decided to burn the body and loot the place. It is believed that the Inca’s ashes were kept by his descendants. The walls and enclosures of the ancient city suffered severe damage over time. However, today it is possible to appreciate the foundations of the ancient palace of Wiracocha. Huchuy Qosqo is the name of the trekking route that leads to Machu Picchu after 3 days and 2 nights.

Huchuy Qosqo refers to the Inca archaeological site built in the early 15th century to be the royal residence of the Inca Viracocha. It also refers to the 3-day, 2-night trekking route that passes through the Inca site and ends at the Inca city of Machu Picchu. Not many tourists dare to visit this site, which is one of the most important in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

What does its name mean?
The word Huchuy Qosqo or Huch’uy Qosqo comes from a compound Quechua word (the language of the Incas and many of today’s Andean peoples) which means ‘Little Cusco’. In Inca times, this citadel was known as ‘Qaqyaqawana’, which means ‘place where the thunder is seen’.

Location and altitude:
Huchuy Qosqo is located 50 kilometres north of the city of Cusco (Peru), in the mountains of the village of Lamay, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It is located at 3,600 meters above sea level (11,811 feet altitude).