Coricancha

If you have decided to spend a few days in the beautiful city of Cusco, it is almost impossible that when you walk through its streets, a large stone building that can be seen from afar goes unnoticed, it is possibly the most sacred and important building in Ehe Empire of the Incas, or Tahuantinsuyo in local language. It was the place where the "Inca" paid homage to the maximum Inca God.

At the time of the conquest, the temple was destroyed and looted. Currently, the colonial structure of the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo uses the original foundations and walls of the Inca Coricancha Temple as a building base. Thus, if you are a lover of history and culture, you cannot miss the opportunity to visit this imposing place.

What does Coricancha mean?

The word Coricancha, also written as Qoricancha, Qorikancha or koricancha, is formed by the union of two Quechua words: "quri" which means gold and kancha: "temple or enclosure" so the full meaning of Quri Kancha means something like "Golden enclosure or golden temple", whose name is due to the fact that in times of the Inca empire the place had gold plates on its walls..

Attractive

The temple of the Sun

It was the main Temple of the entire Qorikancha, occupying more than half the width of the current Church of Santo Domingo. Garcilaso says that inside this temple were the embalmed bodies of the children of the Sun, placed by chairs and on gold tables for antiquity, the walls were covered with gold plates, there being a disk representing the figure of the Sun on a gold plate thicker than the other plates that covered the temple. At the western end it corresponds to the current drum overlooking Av. Sol; its eastern end reached the current atrium of the church.

The Temple of the Moon

This temple was closer to the Temple of the Sun, since the Moon was considered the wife of the Sun. This building was lined with silver planks, there being a representation of the Moon made in silver. Inside the mummies of the Coyas kept in order of antiquity were kept. Approximately half of the Temple was demolished by the Spanish to build the Santo Domingo Church. It occupies part of the western side of the inner courtyard of the Qorikancha.

The Temple of Venus and the Stars

It is located near the Temple of the Moon, but separated by a beautiful alley, dedicated to Venus and the seven goats and all the other stars. Venus was called by the Incas "Chasca" which means star. According to historians' references, the Inca used to stand in this temple to be deified or to witness festivals or sacrifices made in the rectangular courtyard. It occupies part of the western side of the inner courtyard of the Qorikancha.

The Temple of Illapa or Chuki Illapa

Illapa or ChukiIllapa mean lightning, lightning and thunder at the same time. The mentioned temple is in front of the temple of Venus, it has three simple jamb doors, equidistant and slightly trapezoidal, it also has a window in each side wall.

The Temple of K'uychi or Rainbow

In this temple, the Rainbow was worshiped, which, according to ancient belief, came from the Sun. It has identical architectural characters as the Temple of Illapa. A part of this temple was demolished by the Spanish to build the buildings of the Dominican Convent. It is north of the Temple of Illapa and in front of the Temple of the Moon, eastern side of the inner courtyard of the Qorikancha.

IntiPampa

Almost all the peoples of the world, at all times, built large squares in front of their temples. Intipanpa or Intipampa (name that translates as Plain of the Sun) is the place where the nobles, their courts, service personnel, dancers, etc. stayed. when in the course of festivals the Inca and the nobility moved to the Qorikancha. This place currently corresponds to the Plaza de Santo Domingo, apparently its limits and extent have hardly changed. It is located to the North of what was the Qorikancha.

The Solar Garden

It became the great deposit of offerings that of all the submitted and confederated nations brought to the Sun God, the offerings consisted of representations of flora and fauna of the Tahuantinsuyo. According to some historians, these offerings made in gold and silver were life-size and were so many that they filled surprisingly and in such a number the terraces for what the Spanish called the Solar Garden. In colonial times it became an orchard for Dominican friars. It is located in the western part of the Qorikancha, it can be seen from Av. Sol in all its extension.

The sources

There were 5 sources of water, the origins of the water from the sources was a kept secret. The fountains had religious significance and were decorated with precious metals. They were located in the entire extension of the Qorikancha, currently we can see a fountain with the octagonal corners in the Qorikancha courtyard.

Location

The Coricancha Temple is located at the intersection of Av. El Sol and Calle Santo Domingo, 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas of Cusco in Peru.

Hours and Cost

Monday to Saturday: 08:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. - Sunday: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Cost: S/.10.00 (Not included in the Tourist Ticket).