Cuenca Ecuador, Ingapirca Ruins

Ingapirca is the largest and best preserved archaeological site in Ecuador, is located 80 km from the city of Cuenca, in the province of Canar. Its construction combines Adobe coppery brown used by the Canarian culture with bluish green andesite stones brought later by the Incas. It was built with millions of hewn stone in the middle of the eighteenth century.

Data of interest

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Information of Ruins of Ingapirca

In the complex you can see the different architectural units, among which stands the Temple of the Sun, which have an elliptical shape 37 feet long and 12 meters wide, was used to perform ceremonies and rituals Cañari-Inca culture . In addition, I observed the oldest building Ingapirca Pilaloma which consists of a series of rectangular rooms.

According to the evidence from the complex, all buildings had walls of cut stone, completed the upper part of adobe, its gabled roof with a heavy fall, had a structure of wood, bamboo, tied with twine and covered with straw moor.

The ruins of Ingapirca was an important religious, political, scientific, military and administrative and is comprised of a cemetery, solar observatory, a temple, tanks, chambers of priests, a ceremonial plaza and cobblestone streets.  

Ingapirca means "Inca Wall" and is divided into three parts or departments.

Castle of Ingapirca

Known as the Sun Temple, located at the top of a hill, its construction dates from the time of Huayna Capac. Comprised of rooms, courtyards, cellars and bathrooms. It is surrounded by stone walls that provide the largest collection of archaeological data. It is one of the most important examples of Inca architecture. Its position suggests a ceremonial use enabling the identification of the source and cover the sun.

Shrine

Built by the Canaris in honor of the Moon, the main God and is the center of the archaeological complex of Ingapirca. Its construction is elliptical in shape and its walls have a maximum elevation of less than four meters. Both the door as the niches in the walls, trapezoidal shaped, and carved stone blocks are juxtaposed without any kind of amalgam.

Apartments

The rooms were equipped for the priests and their rites, worship the Sun and Moon, one of the walls has a lot of niches.

Archaeological Museum

Inside you can see a model explaining Ingapirca and a large amount of pottery from the period of integration. The excavations conducted at the site revealed the presence of the Canari and Inca cultures. It also has an ethnographic room where you can find items such as utensils, tools and clothing of the Canaris.