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Peru
Discovering ancient wonders and mysteries in Peru is a never ending story. The country is full of hidden treasures. Anyway the biggest experience you can get in Peru is meeting the friendly and hospitable inhabitants.

Choquequirao, Peru – the Real Lost City of the Inca! Part 1 of 2!

2006-08-26
Hundreds of thousands come back from Peru unaware that just about 100 km or so from Machu Picchu lies another magnificent complex. Choquequirao has taken over from over-crowded Machu Picchu as the true Lost City of the Inca.

Photo. Inside Choquequirao.
© Alex Welsh.

Machu Picchu is one of those things you can’t miss, even if you hate crowds and band wagons. It is undoubtedly gorgeous and profound. However, all that “lost city” stuff sounds like a cheap cliché these days. What is so lost about a shiny train, a bunch of new coaches, international cuisine, inflated tourist trap prices, tactical formations of retired Japanese and millions of North-American kids screaming for mommy? Machu Picchu is a Very Much Found City of the Inca.

Peru is the land of adventure and this is why I came here. Yes, I enjoyed Machu Picchu, it was beautiful. But it was no adventure.

Then I heard of Choquequirao. And… I smelled fish. Another city nearby, bigger than Machu Picchu? You mean a proper lost city where no-one goes, close to Cuzco? What’s wrong with it? Is it just a bunch of rocks? Or are you giving me another “lost city” pitch? Too good to be true. I mean, it’s not that unknown – a few tour shops in Cuzco advertise it, yet it falls on deaf ears.

I went, I saw, I surrendered. It was the best decision of my Peru trip. Choquequirao was stunning. And it was true. The reason I had it all to myself? There is no luxury train! Simple as that. O tempora o mores!

I know there are thousands who dream of a genuinely lost Inca city they can enjoy in solitude and serenity. This article is for you. Believe me, this is what you are looking for when you wince from the Inca Trail hype in Cuzco.

Choquequirao: 3030 m altitude, 60 km round-trip over 5 days, transport: none, terrain: gorgeous.

Choquequirao was actually first discovered way before Machu Picchu. However, it is less preserved and the excavation works are more recent. To date, only about 30% of it has been recovered – mainly the top (and most important) part. The slopes are still largely buried.

How does it compare to Machu Picchu, I hear you ask. Well, it doesn’t. They are different cities altogether. Choquequirao is built very differently, more conventionally. Palaces, religious structures, living quarters and military constructions surround the ample main square. Many of the buildings are 2-3 stories. The city is dominated by a magnificent ceremonial hill with the top chopped off and turned into a religious arena and an observatory (6 of the peaks and 2 of the rivers sacred to the Inca can be viewed from here).

The slopes hold a vast number of structures, from simple shacks to well-preserved large agricultural terraces. The overall area covered by Choquequirao is 1810 hectares, much bigger than that of Machu Picchu. 

Choquequirao is more than just a pretty face. They call it a sister of Machu Picchu, I would call it a brother. While the Virgins of the Moon were dancing around in MP, Choquequirao kept everyone fed and safe – it was the administrative, military and economic centre of the whole area, as well as a bearer of a strong religious significance. Choquequirao is where the remnants of the Inca had their last days. The archaeological work here is slow due to inaccessibility and low funding, but it seems that what they do find makes Choquequirao more and more significant every year.

Photo. Choquequirao viewed from hill.
© Alex Welsh.

Choquequirao is a genuinely lost city. Harshly inaccessible from either side, it is no wonder it never got discovered (even in our days of New-age Machu Picchu worship). This little corner of paradise is firmly locked by the guardian mountains. They isolate this spot from the whole world, like a ring a soundproof padding. There is only the low-flying condor and the rainbow reaching the city from the bottom of the valley. We could almost touch that rainbow.

But that’s still not the best thing about Choquequirao. Lost in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by silent mountains, it was absolutely empty. And with that comes freedom. There was an invisible team of archaeologists somewhere, my guide Victor, Felipe and Rolando (two Austrian guys I came with), and an English/Peruvian explorer with his loyal Sancho Panza. Yet it was still the end of the high season. No ticket booth, no security, no supervision, not even a toilet. It was all up to our ethics. We were not on a tour, we were guests here – the camping ground was on one of the terraces. We wandered wherever we wanted (respecting the archaeological restrictions), day or night. Choque is particularly magic after nightfall, if you have the guts. It’s not for the faint-hearted to walk around the ruins surrounded by wilderness, hearing whispers of ghosts and wondering which sacred grounds you are trespassing. 

Like I said, the reason we could have a Lost City all to ourselves was because there was no train. You had to beat the trail for two days, and it was not all a Sunday promenade.

Read more on Part 2: Choquequirao – the Real Lost City of the Inca.

Alex Welsh, 3 July 2006

Additional information
Peru is probably one of the richest countries in the world when it comes to ancient wonders and mysteries. The whole country is filled with discovered and undiscovered treasures. It also has some of the most spectacular and varied scenery in South America. The biggest treasure in the country is the people itself: their hospitality and friendliness are unique!

Peru is a country in South America, situated on the western side of that continent. It  face the South Pacific Ocean and cover a part of the Andes mountain range that runs the length of South America. Peru is bordered by Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south.

Read more about Peru on Travel Explorations. Here you find stories and information about Machu Picchu, Nazca Lines and many more mysteries and wonders.

About the Author:
Alex Welsh is the webmaster of Valencia Travel Guide - an independent resource on travelling to Valencia.

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