Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Raqchi ruins is the line of nearly 200 round stone houses that parallels the gigantic adobe Inca wall. At one time each one of the houses was filled to the brim with quinoa, freeze-dried potatoes, and corn. The wall, nearly 15 meters high and 90 meters long, was part of a ceremonial center built by Inca Pachacútec. The now-crumbling walls once supported a huge hall with a roof—another testament to the Incas architectural ambition and engineering skills. One of the supporting columns has been restored, and on one side of the wall there are six stone buildings, which probably once served as soldiers’ barracks. Though the great hall of Raqchi has long since succumbed to time and the elements, the remaining five-story high wall is one of the best preserved examples of Inca adobe architecture, and definitely a site worth checking out.

Historical Building

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