Ingapirca

In the warm, dry climate of the Southern Sierra, about two hours by bus from Cuenca, lies Ingapirca, roughly translated as "Inca Wall", and Ecuador's only major Inca ruins. Built during the Inca expansion into Ecuador toward the end of the fifteenth century, the site had been occupied by the people of the early Canari civilization for more than 500 years. The Incas, who conquered the Canaris, destroyed most of the Canari structures, except for a burial site. They replaced the structures with their own elaborate complex that probably served as a fortress and place of worship, and also a way-station on the Inca Royal Road to Quito.

Inca edifices with trapezoidal doorways and pillowed stone blocks were built atop the Canari walls. The centerpiece of the ruins is the Temple of the Sun, where celebrations of the Inti Raymi (New Year) festival took place. The mortar-less temple was positioned so that the sun illuminated the altars on both the eastern and western faces of the temple. The Temple consists of a huge oval-shaped platform made of exquisitely carved blocks of stone, fitted together with amazing precision.

The remainder of the site consists primarily of low walls, which were possibly storehouses or dwellings. The guides (some English-speaking) explain various theories about what stood where. A small museum inside displays Canari and Inca pots, plus tools and jewelry found in the area, and terraced gardens lie below the site.

Events/Holidays: The Inti Raymi celebrations take over the ruins the third week in June.