The Amaru Kancha Palace, House of the Great Serpent, is the name by which the remains of an ancient Inca palace built in Cusco are known, located in front of the Plaza de Armas, old Plaza Huacaypata. According to some chroniclers it was the palace of the Inca Huayna Cápac.
It would also be the site destined to keep the snakes that the curacas or caciques offered to the Inca as a sign of homage, or as the home of a very large and ferocious serpent that an Inca monarch would have brought from his conquest of Antisuyo, that is, the region jungle east of Cusco. In its main part the Church of the Society of Jesus was erected.
Location
Located between the current streets of Loreto, Av. El Sol and the Plaza de Armas. Today we can find in this place The Church of the Society of Jesus.
Description
Amaru Kancha, is a Quechua expression that means: enclosure of the serpents or the field of the serpent, It was ordered to be built by Wayna Qhapaq and was the residence of the “Tumipampa Ayllu”, it was separated from the AcllaWasi by the Inti K’ijllu, towards the southwest and extended to the Saphy River while its western side faced the Waqaypata.
In the distribution of lots, after the conquest, this fell to Hernando Pizarro, Manzo Sierra de Leguizamo, Antonio Altamirano and Alonzo Mazuela, later it was occupied by the Jesuits who built the Church of the Society of Jesus.
Successive occupations
According to the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, the Amaru Kancha Palace belonged to Huayna Cápac; after the death of this Inca it was occupied by his son Huáscar, and when the Inca capital was taken by the Spanish, they proceeded to divide up the buildings. Hernando Pizarro was responsible for the main part of the Amaru Kancha Palace, the same that was later given to the Jesuit fathers, who raised the Church of the Society of Jesus there. Another part was destined for the public jail, and other sections or houses were distributed between Mancio Sierra de Leguizamo, Antonio Altamirano, Alonso Mazuela, among other conquerors, whose names the Inca chronicler did not remember.
The discover of the original wall of the Amaru Kancha Palace
A new wall of Amaru Kancha Palace, an Inca palace built in the center of Cusco (Peru) in honor of the snake, was discovered by a group of archaeologists in the area where the Palace of Justice of that city is currently located, announced today the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco.
The wall will allow to establish the projection of the construction in the urban layout of the ancient Inca capital.
The excavations, which began two months ago, also made it possible to discover sequences of structures and cultural material corresponding to the different occupations and uses that the place had during the Inca, colonial and republican times, including some ceramic fragments.
According to colonial chronicles, the Amaru Kancha Palace was erected in front of the current main square of Cusco and was dedicated to the serpent, the representative animal of the underground world within the Andean trilogy of divinities, completed by the puma and the condor, which symbolize the worlds, terrestrial and celestial, respectively.
How to get to the Amaru Kancha Palace?
What remains of the Amaru Kancha Palace is very little. In Loreto street you can still see the walls that corresponded to it, inside what was the palace today we find the Church of the Compaña de Jesús, the Palace of Justice and the Paraninfo of the National University of San Antonio Abab of Cusco.
Other Inca Palaces that you should know during your trip to Cusco
The Inca culture worked its buildings using an excellent construction style, which can be seen in the palaces that the Incas erected for their successors. Therefore, it is important that, during your trip to the Imperial City of Cusco, you take time to get to know the four Inca Palaces that we will mention below:
Qollqanpata Palace
The Qollqanpata Palace was built on the slopes of Sacsayhuamán in the Qollqanpata neighborhood, this palace belonged to the founder of the Inca empire, Manco Cápac. Upon the arrival of the Spanish, this site passed into the hands of Diego de Almagro and is currently the Church of San Cristóbal.
Its Quechua name is «deposit site», a name that describes the place of large deposits, possibly food. Currently you can see ruins of its walls and part of a beautiful Inca wall carved in rock.
Qasana Palace
It is a group of buildings whose south side adjoined the Plaza de Armas), ordered to be built by the Inca Pachacútec, located today between Procuradores, Tecsecocha, Plateros, Amargura and Saphi streets.
Qasana means in Quechua «where the frost falls» and that in ancient times it extended from the parallel tracks to the Saphy River to the Palace of Qoraqora. According to historians, this was the palace was the residence of the royal lineage «Iñaka PanaKa Ayllu» and today several colonial-style mansions are appreciated in the place, whose foundations are the bases of the Qasana Palace, still visible.
Qoraqora Palace
Commissioned to be built by Inca Roca, it was the residence of the «Ayllu Raurau» located next to the Qasana facing the current Plaza de Armas in Cusco. «Qoraqora» is a Quechua word that means «place with abundant grass.»
With the arrival of the Spaniards, it was awarded to Gonzalo Pizarro and during the Colony residences were built on its foundations, leaving their stone bases exposed and that today the visitor can appreciate in the colonial portals and houses.
Kiswar Kancha Palace
The Kiswar Kancha Palace is belonging to the Inca Wiraqocha, it was composed of interior buildings and large courtyards, and was located in what is now the Cathedral of Cusco and the temple of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Kiswar Kancha is a Quechua expression that means «place of the bushes» and it is said that this palace was quadrangular composed of buildings and courtyards. At present, unfortunately there is nothing left to see of what this great palace was.
Pukamarka Palace
Its name means «Red Place», built by order of Tápac Inca Yupanqui with the aim of communicating to the entire empire that he was its only leader. Currently some walls are observed because, during the time of the Spanish conquest, the stone material was used to build colonial buildings.
To book a vacation to Cusco or for any questions, it is recommended to do so with a FullViajes travel agent to obtain all the detailed information about trip planning to guarantee an excellent vacation in the Millennial City.
Hatunrumiyoq Palace
The Hatunrumiyoq Palace was built by order of Inca Roca, in this place the leader of the Inca Empire lived with his panaca. The name of the palace means «House that has large stones.» During the Spanish conquest, this building was partially demolished to build the House of the Marquis of Rocafuerte.
This place preserves a wall built of green diorite stone with irregularly shaped polyhedra: The twelve-angle stone. This construction remains firm over the years, what is more, the union of these stones is so perfect that no fine object (needle) can be inserted into the joints of the Inca construction.
Hatun Kancha Palace
Hatun Kancha is a Quechua expression that means: The great enclosure, The palace belonged to Amaru Inca Yupanqui and there his lineage or panaca resided. Historians say that Amaru, due to his intelligence and obedience, was shaping up to inherit the Tahuantinsuyo empire; reason for which he won the right to build his own palace adjacent to the Waqaypata and very close to his grandfather’s palace. When Tupac Inca Yupanqui assumes power (due to the immense popularity caused by his bravery) Amaru Inca Yupanqui maintains the right to preserve his great palace and his panaca.
Visiting Cusco is a real adventure whose protagonist will be yourself, instead of a memorable experience, that is why Cusco is definitely one of the most incredible cities with a great variety of archaeological centers and tours such as Sacred Valley, Camino Inca or Machu Picchu. To enjoy an unforgettable experience, contact Inka Trail Backpacker, a company that will better assist you during your visit, of course it is always with the necessary advice for you and yours as well as the guarantee, responsibility and security that characterizes us. If you visit the city of Cusco another impressive destinations that you can visit are the tour to rainbow mountain peru or the humantay lake tour from cusco, which only takes one day. But if you are gonna to stay more days in Cusco, other archaeological places you can know will be the choquequirao trek peru, the salkantay trek to machu picchu, and the classic inca trail 4 days 3 nights.
