The Choquequirao stone citadel is known as the "Sister of Machu Picchu" due to its architectural similarity.
The traveler who wishes to visit these Inca precincts will be surprised by the majesty of its charms and imposing works.
Choquequirao stems from the Quechua word meaning "Cradle of gold", the name symbolizes the Inca vision that they had as the fundamental value of gold in honor of the sun, their buildings were developed based on minerals such as quartz and stone that served for the high walls in building, the number of platforms as production centers, food and textile stores.
The Choquequirao citadel has two seasons, the dry season is from April to November and the rainy season from December to March. The climate of the place is warm during the day, while at night it is cold.
Its fauna is home to condors, pumas, skunks, hummingbirds, cock of the rock and its flora preserves orchids, giant ferns, ichu, bushes, among other vegetation that enrich nature.
Its location is a point with a good approach because it is at the junction of several provinces and regions of Peru. It is 3 033 meters above sea level at the foot of the snowy Salkantay, in the district of Santa Teresa, province of La Convención district of Cusco.
It is catalogued as the last Inca resistance because the arrival of the Spanish caused conflicts and destruction in the region of Cusco, however, being hidden within a point of difficult access, the Incas took the place as a refuge, that is why to date there is no record of the Spanish conquest in the place.
A very important place within the Inca empire because it was a sacred, cultural, religious and political citadel to ensure accessibility to Vilcabamba and maintain external relations as part of the Amazon jungle.
The Inca empire was known for being a conqueror of cultures and its constructions also served as operational bases for the use of strategies for political purposes, therefore, the jungle regions may have been another interest.
Studies of Choquequirao need more research to find the real purposes of its creation and the more detailed activities of the time.
The mystery of the construction of Choquequirao, began in the second half of the XV century, according to studies it is considered that the objective was to elaborate an entrance with expansion of space to Vilcabamba with an administrative control point to create an access to Cusco and the Peruvian Amazon.
The arrival of the Spanish was eminent in the XVI century, in the year 1530 the Incas used the settlement as a refuge after the destruction and invasion of Cusco, the most amazing thing is that there is no trace of them or Spanish writings about this wonder.
The rediscovery was much later, it occurred in the seventeenth century by explorers and then some other interested, and in the XX century the explorer Hiram Bingham visited the place by the name it bears as Cuna de Oro, which found nothing to do with gold and therefore called Choquequirao as a border fortress.
