Q’enqo PERU Tour – Prelude to meeting Juanita

Q'enqo PERU, a place where human sacrifices were made and a good place to visit before you continue to see Juanita the Mummy in Arequipa

Q'enqo PERU
A ceremonial altar, where human sacrifices were said to be made in the past. Today in the wee hours of the morning, llama fetuses are often made as offerings
Q'enqo PERU
The large rocks are said to have spiritual significance in making this a huaca (holy site)
Q'enqo PERU
You are not quite in a cave-- it is a semi-enclosed area

Ubiquitous day trip tours from Cuzco often include a stop in Q’enqo, a huaca (holy site) featuring dramatically large rocks. Though it’s technically part of the Sacsayhuamen Archeological Park, you also pass it on the road back to Cuzco after visiting Tambomachay.

It’s not so much the rocks that interest, but rather the tour of the ceremonial site in quasi-cave enclosure. Here you see a flat stone table that was once used for human sacrifices.

Open from dawn to dusk, we learned from our tour guide that if you go there earlier you might find people still making sacrifices here—not of humans, but of llama fetuses that you see for sale in Cuzco’s market.

If your Peru tour continues to Arequipa and a visit to Juanita’s mummy, making a stop in Q’enqo will help bring what you learn there into better focus.

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