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Map of Choquequirao: University of Colorado
2. CHOQUEQUIRAO: THE SITE
Machu Picchu, hidden and untouched (much smaller than Choquequirao), holds around 200 buildings, with
complexes and terraces. It is difficult to see from down below, partly due to the mists that rise from the Urubamba
river. As the site was constructed only during the time of Pachacuteq, the buildings and terraces testify to one
specific point in history with the technique and style.
On the other hand, Choquequirao is nestled primarily on a mountainous ridge above the Apurimac River next to
the Vilcabamba valley, a river which also causes similar misting much like Machu Picchu. Its elevation is around
3000m (or approximately 9,850 feet). It sits around 44 kilometers from Machu Picchu and shares many of the
similarities in the terrain, frequently covered in clouds and surrounded by the cloud forest and home to the famous
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