Wiñay Wayna (2650 m) (

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

for "forever young", Hispanicized spelling ''Huiñay Huayna'') is an

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

ruin along the

Inca Trail to Machu Picchu The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (also known as ''Camino Inca'' or ''Camino Inka'') is a hiking trail in Peru that terminates at Machu Picchu. It consists of three overlapping trails: ''Mollepata'', ''Classic'', and ''One Day''. ''Mollepata'' is ...

. It is built into a steep hillside overlooking the

Urubamba River The Urubamba River or Vilcamayo River (possibly from Quechua ''Willkamayu'', for "sacred river") is a river in Peru. Upstream it is called Vilcanota River (possibly from Aymara ''Willkanuta'', for "house of the sun"). Within the La Convención ...

. The site consists of upper and lower house complexes connected by a staircase and fountain structures. Above and below the houses the people built areas of

agricultural terraces A terrace in agriculture is a flat surface that has been cut into hills or mountains to provide areas for the cultivation for crops, as a method of more effective farming. Terrace agriculture or cultivation is when these platforms are created s ...

or andenes, which are still visible. A camp site for hikers with the same name is located in the vicinity and is usually used as the last overnight camping site for hikers undertaking the classical Inca Trail.

Gallery

Image:Epidendrum secundum Winaywayna.jpg, Epidendrum secundum, commonly called "Wiñay Wayna", in front of the ruins File:Wayllabamba Puesto de Vigilancia sign.jpg, Location of Wiñay Wayna as shown on a sign near Willkaraqay

References

Archaeological sites in Peru Inca Archaeological sites in the Department of Cusco {{Peru-archaeology-stub

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See also

References