EAST VIEW

Although only 30% of the 1,810 hectares of the complex have been rescued, it is possible to suppose that Choquequirao was a religious site rather than a fortress. Because of its location, it is likely that it was the most important religious center and was occupied by priests and those consecrated to the divinities. Paintings and cemeteries have been found that would confirm this theory. Most of the buildings do not have a domestic function, and for the most part, they should be considered as structures with a public function, apparently ceremonial.

The upper section of the site is almost strictly for this use, as is the Ushnu and the lower part as a whole. It is like a sanctuary whose occupants must have been rather amautas or priests and chosen to serve the cult.

Choquequirao is arranged in nine zones built as small villages around a large plaza where all the causeways coming from each zone are located. It has been possible to locate the upper plaza (Hanan), the deposits (Qolqa), the main plaza (Huaqaypata), the lower plaza (Hurin), the system of cultivation terraces immediately adjacent to the main plaza (Chaqra Andén), the ceremonial platform (Ushnu) and the priests' dwelling in the lower part of the hill. For this reason it is presumed that Choquequirao was a great political and economic center, which served as a commercial and cultural enclave between the coast, highlands and jungle.