Nestled in the upper reaches of the Colca Valley of southern highland Peru resides the siteof Mawchu Llacta, whose nominal roots exist in the Quechua language. However, at the time ofits establishment in the 16th century, Mawchu Llacta would have existed as Santa Cruz de Tute, aSpanish colonial town known as a reducción. The purpose […]

The Incan Empire. A vast and powerful nation that occupied a large portion of WesternSouth America on the Andean Mountains from the Pre-Columbian early 1400s to the 1500swhen the Spanish conquered the land and its people. Known as “The Realm of the Four Parts,”the expansive empire consisted of political, administrative, and military centers. One of […]

The Wari archaeological site near the modern-day Ayacucho in Peru’s central highlands isa cornerstone of Andean archaeology and a critical precursor to the Inka Empire. Flourishingduring the Middle-Horizon period (600-1000 CE), the Wari civilization marked one of SouthAmerica’s earliest instances of state-level organization. The site demonstrates remarkableadvancements in urban planning, governance, and material culture, laying […]

Tiwanaku, located on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca in modern-dayBolivia, is one of the most significant and enigmatic archaeological sites in theAndes. This ancient city, once the capital of the Tiwanaku civilization, flourishedbetween approximately 500 and 1000 CE, predating the rise of the Inca Empire byseveral centuries. Known for its impressive architecture, advanced engineering,and […]

Chan Chan is often advertised as the largest mud city in the world to the public. However,this statement tends to undermine the significance of Chan Chan as an archaeological siteimportant to the Andes. Chan Chan, located near the city of Trujillo, Peru, was the royal capitalfor the Kingdom of Chimor. The Kingdom of Chimor, or […]