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The word Piquillacta is a compound Quechua word, which means lousy town (piki = louse; llaqta = town), although it is also called "city of fleas". Despite the fact that the original name of the area is unknown. The site began to be called Pikillaqta from the last years of the colonial or early republican times. Some chroniclers refer to this area by the name of ´´Muyuna´´, ´´Muyna´´ or ´´Mohina´´.



A visit to this site must be scheduled separately. Approximately 30 km south of the

Cusco are the well preserved vestiges of Piquillacta, a fortified citadel

that belonged to the Wari culture (800-1100). Piquillacta is perhaps one of the most

beautiful and interesting of this pre-Inca culture. During its heyday, this culture

expanded from the Ayacucho region to Lambayeque and Cajamarca in the north, and

Cusco and Arequipa to the south.

The urban techniques of the Wari culture can be appreciated in Piquillacta. His new

concept of urban life made it a model for the other fortified citadels and

Among its remains you can see buildings, houses, streets and squares perfectly

planned and divided into sectors.



32 kms. East of the city of Cusco, is the old town of Piquillacta. It was one of the most impressive regional centers of the Wari culture, a culture settled in Ayacucho, which was absorbed by the Incas. Today it is a national archaeological park of great scenic interest, belonging to the province of Quispicanchis.





Piquillacta's buildings are made up of more than 700 structures, 200 kanchas (apartments), 504 qolqas (warehouses) and other buildings.



The city must have housed a population of approximately 10,000 people. Some researchers suggest that in Inca times, Piquillaqta was a city for ´´mitimaes´´ (groups of people or tribes that moved from one place to another).

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