File number:- pba0123

© South American Pictures/ Kathy Jarvis

Peru. Choquequirao is a late Inca site at 3000m /9840 ft overlooking the Apurimac river on the western side of the Vilcabamba range. The name is derived from local words Choque - meaning unrefined gold and k'irau to swing as in a cradle. It is a two storey building divided in two to allow for a steeply inclined roof over each side. The stonework is packed with mud mortar and bosses protrude to hold down the thatching.