CHINCHERO WAS BURNED.

Chinhero was burned by Manco Inka after his defeat in Cusco in 1536, he passed by Chinchero and he decided to burn it, and the invaders who were persecuting him could not have either food or lodging.
On a platform is the colonial church that was build on an Inka Palace (possible was the main in all Chinchero), in 1572, Vice-king Toledo founded the "Doctrine of Our Lady of Monserrat of Chinchero" and ordered construction of the present-day Catholic Church that was finished by the first years of the XVII century; possibly in 1607, that is the year found in the writing over the main arch inside the church on the façade there is wall painted of virgin of Monserrat keeping on her hands a baby, to her right is the victory celebration that coincides with the Thanksgiving procession and the presence of Saint Paul, and Saint Peter holding in his hand the heaven's keys. Toward the left side of the Virgin is the battle representing chaos and Tupaq Amaru's faction. More over, there are images representing Pumakawa symbolized in form of fighting victorious Pumas; and other images representing Tupaq Amaru symbolized by the "amaru" (serpent-dragon) as chaos and squalor representation. Inside the church there is a canvas representing the same dark-skinned Monserrat Virgin, where it is possible to see angels sawing the mountain; that artwork was painted by Quechua Cusquenian School artist Francisco Chiwant'ito and dated in 1693.
By the middle of this plaza is a bust honoring Mateo García Pumakawa Chiwant'ito who was born in the house located in front of the bust; the house has small arch windows on the second floor. Mateo Pumakawa was Chinchero's Quechua chief, Official and Warrant Officer paid by the Spanish army; he fought against the Tupaq Amaru II Revolution helping to bring about his defeat in 1781. When being old aged he wanted to repay what he did against his people and race and joined the Angulo brothers in order to fight against the Spanish crown. But, he was defeated and hung from an arch like the ones that are seen in Chinchero, in Sicuani in 1814 after the Tupaq Amaru defeat, Pumakawa made paint his victory in frescos over the church's gate
Also here you can see colonial architecture with columns that have bramantesco capitels without any decoration in the entire column.
Leaving Chinchero, near to the car parking there on the rock there is a rustic church where every first Sunday of every month, all the varayocs (Ayllu’s major) come here they get together in a meeting to talk about their Ayllus, near there are plants of Kantu flower, the sacred flower for the Inkas, in their cosmology they believed that when someone will die, his/her spirit will go to the hanan Pacha and on the way, if he/she would get tired and thirsty could drink the water that is into the flower because it has the shape of a bell and when it rains the water get into here, that is why this plant was found in many tombs, also this flower is related with the sacred animal known as the K’ente or hummingbird, who was the most sacred bird among all, and it is the only bird that can drink the nectar of this flower as it has the large and tinny beak.
Near to Chinchero is the Piuray lake, that was important during the Inka times because water was channeled from here to drink in Cusco, during the colonial time, in august of 1572 the vice-king Toledo ordered to reuse again the Inka channel to bring water to Cusco, and during the Republic time Cusco drank water from this lake using the same Inka channel, and still nowadays Cusco drinks water from this lake.
In Chinchero, every Sunday morning there is a nice native market, which is one of the most typical and commendable ones in the region. Over here it is still possible to observe bartering of goods, and almost always people exchange tropical goods such as fruits, coca leaves or salt for some other regional goods such as potatoes, broad beans, ollucos, etc. Also over here, there is a market for tourists with diverse handicrafts with very well made weavings standing out. Unlike some other markets where merchants are foreigners, over here merchants are native regional people.

ABOUT THE ARQUEOLOGICAL PLACE OF CHINCHERO

On its main plaza there are 12 niches where probable put mommies or deities during sacred or activities, at the background is the colonial church (we will talk about this after) walking by the left side get into where the terraces are, and notice that here there are a lot of them that is why this town was very important during Inka times by the altitude where it is, mainly for potatoes, here there is another plaza that maybe was for carry out important ceremonies that is why in front there are the remains of some Inka palaces that according to the Spanish mission that came here to study about Chinchero they mention that the palaces of Chinchero (the post impotents) where build during the period of Inka Pachaquteq.
Here also is a good place where you can see one characteristic of the Inka’s architecture similar to those that are in Saqsayhuaman, at the back there are also terraces that were build on the mountain hillside because here it is like small valley and has a different kind of climate, and are build taking advantage the geography of the zone, Chinchero is a town where we can see some Wakas or shrines that are from Inka times, their original names are lost just now we have some names that could or not be the original during the Inkas time, the first is known as the Tete Qaqa, Tete means stone and Qaqa means mother rock, it is a limestone outcrop where on the top we can see some carved on the rock in shapes oh ceremonial tables, altars, and there is one that have the shape on a snake that is destroyed, the second is some meter away and is known as Chincana Q’aqa, Chincana means where you get lost and Q’aqa means mother rock, that have some carved on the rock and some stairs, and at the base there are some niches with a water channel near, where probable was a place to adore the sacred live element, walking some meters up there is special carved rock that on its face has stairs designs and on the top there many sacred altars, walking up again you will arrive to a place that is a natural outcrop of pieces of rock, with altars and at the base there is a special design that represent to the three sacred animal for the Inkas, the Puma, the Amaru and the Kuntur, all of them are trying to get into to the Pacha Mama, representing that they are connecting the three celestial worlds the Ukju Pacha, the Kay Pacha and the Hanan Pacha, walking up near to the church there is another Waka known as the Puma Q’aqa, Puma is the name of the animal and Q’aqa means mother rock, here on the top there are the images of two pumas with the heads mutilated by the idolatry extirpation, with some altar, and under this Waka there are 4 niches that probable were to put into some mommies, because it is not so usually to see niches under or very close to a Waka.

ABOUT THE NAME OF CHINCHERO

Its original name is lost, according to some studiers probable it comes from the word “chinchay” that is the name of a feline similar to the Puma that was important in the Inka’s cosmology and religion, that probable lived in this areas, but according to villagers this animal still lives on the mountains. Although today tradition knows it as the "land of the rainbow" because over here the K'uychi (rainbow) is frequently seen in the rainy season. As it is known the rainbow was a special deity among Inkas; it had a temple inside the Qosqo's Qorikancha, and still today in many regions of the Andes people respect, fear or even revere it. Alfonsina Barrionuevo, about the behavior of people in front of a rainbow says, "... It is not possible to watch the rainbow, they say superstitiously, without covering the mouth because it rots the teeth. Neither it is possible to point it with the finger because it undermines the bones. Maidens run away from it because if it catches them in the countryside, it has children with them".

ABOUT CHINCHERO

Chinchero is a town that is 30 Kms. (19 miles) away through the paved road, northwest from Qosqo. Its altitude is 3780 mts. (12400 feet), over a plateau that is cold during the early mornings and at night time.

ABOUT THE QUARRY STONE

Walking up you arrive to the sector kwon as the sun temple, it is constituted by 6 blocks of rock that were carved, one block have three protuberances on its face that like another that has only one probable those were images representing some pumas that were destroyed by Spaniard with the “idolatry extirpation” that was a system for killing andean people, notice that in the middle of all this wall there are some representation that have a special shape it looks like a bleacher because it has level, that could represent the live-way, because during your staying here on the earth you have to learn, improve, do as much as you can, and every time you do it is like you will be walking up by each letter.
Something that calls the attention is that in the middle of each block there are others that are smaller than the big blocks; those were put there to prevent to build another big block, because when there is an earthquake as those are big blocks by the tension and the weight they will broke the piece that is in the middle and as it is not a hard work to build that small piece it is not a big problem, but if there was not those smalls, make sure that to built the big blocks would be a hard work.
The blocks, and other rocks were taken from Kachi K’ata quarry, that is on the another mountain in front, from this distance they took them; first they had to broke the blocks, stone pieces from the outcrop rock, after carved this, not at all, after they throw the blocks until it get the lower and flat part, to cross the river they there is an idea that mention that they closed a half part of the river until have in the middle like an island, they crossed the river with the block an after they had to dry the another half part of the river and pass the block to the other border of the river, and that is how they could do it, but try to imagine, if you dry a half part of the river its base is wet (humid) and with the weight of the block this will get into the wet-earth and it could be a hard work to take this out, another theory mention that when they were in the front-border they tied the rock with ropes, after some workers pushed the rock to the river (no divided either dried) and the force of the river will push it floating and another group of workers who were on the front-border will pull it and they will have the rock some meters lower from they started, after they build a ramp, to take the rock block to the up, they used stone balls and logs at the base and on they put the block again tied, where some workers pushed and others pulled, that was how they cross them.
Near there are some buildings where possible inhabitants lived, going by the road that is guided by arrows painted, you will pass by a particular building that was the control for everybody who wanted to get into the main sector that was the temple of the sun, with doors and niches into, nobody could live there because it is not comfortable neither wide, after you pass and see the another valley, in front you there are some building that were maybe qolqas, because they are on a wind part, and have wide windows and doors, walk down and you will arrive to a astronomical sector, here it is the face of a rock that was sculpted building 5 protuberances that were used during the solstices of June and December, when it is half-day and the sun in at the middle of the sky it illuminate all and the protuberance’s shade completes the holes that are at the base, in the down part there is a part which is carved in three levels that are related with the three andean worlds of the Inkas cosmovision, after walking you will pass by some baths that were sacred to purify the body before get into one of the sacred places that exist there, along the street there is a ceremonial rock like that in Machu Pijchu, that has also an altar, next to this there is a rock formation that probable has the shape of a condor with some altars where possible the villagers put their offers, near there are some buildings that possible were sacred rooms, because there is one construction that have three double jump doors, similar to the exist in Paqarectambu (it is located in the province of Paruro, known as the origin of the Inkas), walking back by the same road, and go by the left sector, and you will arrive to the sector called as the Ñusta’s bath, here there is an special carved rock that looks like to be three levels in all that have the shape of a Chacana, where according to local belief it says that during inka times used to come here the Ñustas (Inka princess) to try and see if they were virgins or not, it mention that one Ñusta had to pass her finger cutting the water way, if water got together to the rock-face she still was virgin, but if it did not, if it continued its way like a waterfall she was not a virgin; that is just a local theory because if we see on the rock there are two white porous lines, that when someone cross the finger the run-water will be less and oxygen or air will get into those porous lines (this is the first theory), after, the channel that brings water to this small tub is not right (straight, rectum) checking when water comes it hits the front side and the velocity of water changes to be “0” after the water will go around the tub with “0” velocity will continue and when water goes and happens the first theory the water will get together to the rock-face, and that is the theory of how it works, this sector was a sacred because the same architecture is well designed, going along the way you will arrive to the sacred plaza that has niches where were put into mommies during sacred or ceremonial activities, near there is a building known as the temple of the water where there are two double jump windows and a main door ,also into there are some niches where probable put there some idols during ceremonial activities, also there is a natural outcrop that was carved in order to serve as a ceremonial carved rock.

KIND OF CONSTRUCTIONS

Still walk up and you will arrive to a place where another kind of constructions starts, this kind is better than the lowers, here you will see a double jump door that was probable the main door to get into the sun temple that is on the top, you will see that on the stone blocks there are some protuberances, those were used to put the rock on that one that is at the base, those were left there as a defensive system, because when there is an earthquake the tension of the movement will look for a place where to get out, and those protuberances are for that function, after there is the remain of which was a sacred room, that have some niches along the right side, it had a door and at the left side there was a wall but now it is not there, just there is the foundation of this wall, notice something important in the wall that between the window’s column there is one that is higher than that one that is next to, it is a kind of defensive system to avoid be destroyed by an earthquake, after is the door that again is a defensive system because the rock blocks that are up and down are just one block while that one that is in the middle is composed by two pieces of rock, and when there is an earthquake the two block (up and down) will force that one that is in the middle and as it is two blocks this will not be broke.

ABOUT THE STOREHOUSES

Next to this place there is a group of room that looks like a pavilion in three lines, those have doors and windows, until some years ago people thought that this building was a hospital, but it could not be because it is hard to go and the patient could also die before get there, another group of people thought that were jails, but those could not be, because all the room have wide and big room and windows and the prisoner could escape the first day or night that they were imprisoned, also another group of people thought that it was a yachay wasi or school for the Inkas but for the distance and the accessibility it could not be, the logical ideas mention that those were Qolqas or storehouses where they saved their products after harvest, to preserve them for the future, because it has wide windows and doors that make able the wind get into and keep fresh those saved products, first they put muña plant (muña is a plant that its smell prevent get into the insects and bugs), after they put on straw (andean grass) and on the product like corn and potatoes, near to this buildings on the edge of the mountain there are other buildings that were also qolqas but by their position maybe those were to keep into seeds of the most important products that were cultivated.