ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE OF INGAPIRCA

At an altitude of 3,200 m, on a plateau that dominates the entire region, stand the most important pre-Hispanic ruins in the country. They form a unique testimony of the Inca culture in Ecuador. Hence their name Ingapirca, which means "the walls of the Inca". A little away from the village, the site unfolds its remains which belonged to an imposing urban and administrative centre, built on the orders of Huayna Capac, between 1487 and 1490, on the ruins of the most important political-religious centre of the Cañari kingdom. The Inca ruler used to stay there during his trips around the empire. The main construction is an enigmatic and majestic castle, of elliptical form, without equivalent in the whole Inca world. Measuring 37 m long and 13 m wide, and 3.50 m high, it was probably a temple dedicated to the sun. It is known as the Adoratory or Ingapirca Castle. From this dominant position, it is clear that the site was much more extensive. Next to the castle are the remains of the apartments of the priests, priestesses and the emperor. We can also see a bathtub dug in the rock whose true use is unknown. Next to the ruins, a rocky shape resembling a native face would indicate that the city extended to this place. A small museum presents a collection of Inca and pre-Inca antiquities: ceramics, objects and jewels in metal and stone, as well as a very interesting model of the site.