Kusicancha/Cusicancha is a little known Inca palace in the center of the city of Cusco, but few know that it was the place where the Inca Pachacutec, one of the greatest men of pre-Columbian America, was born and grew up.
So… What was Cusicancha, where is Cusicancha, why is it important? Join Auri to discover some of the secrets of this beautiful Inca palace, whose constructions still survive the passing of the centuries.
What was Kusicancha?
Kusicancha was a residential housing area of the Inca nobility in the heart of the original Inca city of Cusco. It was built on a grid layout called Cancha in the Quechua language, with houses facing central courtyards. In Cusco, these areas were largely destroyed by the Spanish or used as bases for colonial buildings as happened here.
Where is Kusicancha Inca Palace?
The palaces of Kusicancha are located in the heart of the city of Cusco. It covers several plots that are located between the streets of Pampa del Castillo, Maruri, Romeritos, Santo Domingo square. It is adjacent to the Inca temple of Coricancha.
What does Kusicancha/Cusicancha mean?
The word Kusicancha comes from the Quechua language and translates as “Happy Enclosure”.
What was the function of Kusicancha?
Cusicancha was a neighborhood inhabited by the Inca nobility, also fulfilled functions of attention to the high Inca religious hierarchy. That is to say, its inca enclosures were also used as lodging for the servants of the priestly house of the temple of Qoricancha.
It can be deduced that inside the Temple of the Sun or Coricancha/ Qoricancha there was no place for their priests to spend the night and even less for the people who were at their service. A part of Kusicancha would have served this function. Kusicancha would have also functioned as, storage place for different products destined to the aforementioned temple of Qoricancha.
Brief history of Kusicancha
Before the Inca period, there were human settlements that occupied these neighborhoods: the Cotacalli, Killke and Lucre cultures.
In chronicles about the Incas, the mestizo chronicler Garcilazo de la Vega refers to this neighborhood mentioning having forgotten its name. Kusicancha or Cusicancha also appears in the description of the sanctuaries of Cusco of the chronicler Bernabe Cobo, as well as in the drawings of the Indian chronicler Guaman Poma de Ayala.
Different chronicle sources mention that it was the place where Cusi Yupanqui was born, who would take the name of Pachacutec when he ascended to the Inca throne.
In colonial times, in this same sector were built several colonial mansions, being Pedro Portocarrero the first to inhabit this sector. Later, Kusicancha served as a shelter for people coming from the Qollasuyo, that is to say, from the altiplano area. During the 20th century, the colonial buildings were taken over by the army and converted into military barracks before falling into disuse at the end of the 20th century.
In recent years, the site was rescued by the Cusco authorities so that the archaeological remains still found there could be exhibited free of charge. Since then, research has uncovered a large area of courts with streets and drainage channels that would have occupied most of this part of Cusco. Part of the area has been restored, so it is possible to get an idea of what Inca Cusco looked like before the conquest.
How to visit Kusicancha?
The palaces and enclosures of Kusicancha are located in the premises of the “Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco” at 340 Maruri Street. Admission is completely free, this place is located less than 5 minutes from the main square of Cusco. The attention is from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The archaeological park of Kusicancha is among the most emblematic Inca enclosures of Cusco, because in this place was born the Inca Pachacutec. Being a place of free admission it is worth a visit when touring the historic center of the city of Cusco and be impressed with the Inca building technology.
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