Vilcashuamán
Encyclopedia
Vilcashuamán is the capital of Vilcas Huamán Province
, Peru
. It is located at an altitude of 3,490 m on the eastern slopes of the Andes. It is located on an ancient archaeological site.
Vilcashuamán was an Inca administrative center, established after the Incas conquered the Chancas and the Pocras
. According to chroniclers, Vilcashuamán was home to 40,000 people. The city was located around a large plaza where ceremonies involving sacrifices were performed. Around this plaza were the city's two most important buildings: the Sun Temple (Templo del Sol) and the Ushnu, which remain to this day. It is believed that the city had the shape of a falcon, in which the Ushnu was located in the head.
The Ushnu is a truncated pyramid which is accessed through a double door jamb, characteristic of the most important compounds. In its upper platform is a large stone with unique carvings that is known as the Seat of the Inca (Asiento del Inca); it is believed to have once been covered with gold leaf.
Vilcas Huamán Province
Vilcas Huamán Province is a province in the eastern part of the Ayacucho Region, Peru.-Boundaries:*North: Huamanga Province*East: Apurímac Region*South: Sucre Province*West: Cangallo Province and Víctor Fajardo Province-Political division:...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. It is located at an altitude of 3,490 m on the eastern slopes of the Andes. It is located on an ancient archaeological site.
Vilcashuamán was an Inca administrative center, established after the Incas conquered the Chancas and the Pocras
Pocras
Pocras were the ancient Wari culture inhabitants of the modern-day city of Huamanga, Peru before the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, bounded on the northwest by the Warivilcas, and on the southeast by the Rucanas and the Soras and on the east by the Mayonmarka near the Andahuaylas in La Mar ...
. According to chroniclers, Vilcashuamán was home to 40,000 people. The city was located around a large plaza where ceremonies involving sacrifices were performed. Around this plaza were the city's two most important buildings: the Sun Temple (Templo del Sol) and the Ushnu, which remain to this day. It is believed that the city had the shape of a falcon, in which the Ushnu was located in the head.
The Ushnu is a truncated pyramid which is accessed through a double door jamb, characteristic of the most important compounds. In its upper platform is a large stone with unique carvings that is known as the Seat of the Inca (Asiento del Inca); it is believed to have once been covered with gold leaf.