Ingapirca

Ecuador - Classic Ecuador

Ecuador’s finest Inca ruin, Ingapirca’s Temple of the Sun was built on the ashes of the earlier CaƱari civilisation.

Located upon a small hall amidst a patchwork of fields, Ecuadorā€™s finest ruin Ingapirca commands captivating views across the lush El Canar valley. Sitting at 3300m above sea-level, the site was originally of CaƱari design, a civilisation that dominated southern Ecuador. Fierce rivals to the Inca, the CaƱari were finally conquered by Inca Tupac Yupanqui in the 15th century and their culture assimilated. The CaƱari were scattered across the empire and an Incan ā€œTemple of the Sunā€ was constructed at Ingapirca to dominate the original ā€œTemple of the Moonā€.Today, much of the site has been destroyed, the impressive stonework ransacked by the conquistadors to build the colonial city of Cuenca. However, the eye-catching elliptical ā€œTemple of the Sunā€ has been beautifully preserved and features some of the finest Inca stonework in South America.

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