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Not entirely hidden (as was Machu Picchu), Choquequirao’s story in history is a bit more well-known and

stretches further than the reign of Pachacuteq during the Incan empire. The site is believed to have been passed

down to Tupac Yapanqui, the next Inca after Pachacuteq. Some added architectural styles and methods testify to

the slight differences in the two Incan rulers. Both a religious and cultural center, Choquequirao’s structures play

an intentional role as is in all important Incan sites – following the patterns of the sun, moon, and stars. It served

as perhaps one of the most important “checkpoints” or as a control gate of the empire to gain access into

Vilcambamba valley (“Choqueruirao,” n.d.), and also as the link between the Amazon Jungle and Cusco. There is

some evidence that Choquequirao also served as the royal residence for Tupac Yapanqui, but much like Machu

Picchu, its overall role and purpose is unknown and is generally considered to have served many.

After the height of its time under Tupac Yapanqui, Choquequirao also played an important role after the

Spanish conquistadores invaded the Incan empire. After the Spanish had taken control of Cusco, Manco Yapanqui

started an uprising and managed to lay siege on the city for several months. When it ultimately failed, the last

standing Incan ruler fled to Choquequirao in 1536 (Vecchio, 2009). It remained as one of the last sites to resist the

Spanish conquer until 1572. Nearly two hundred years later, it was mentioned in a Spanish document in 1710, but

was forgotten again until 1834 when José Maria Tejeda, the prefect of Cusco during that time, traveled again to

Choquequirao in search of gold which was rumored for the city (“Choquequirao,” n.d.). Even after this additional

exploration, the site remained relatively untouched for another 70 years (Foerster, 2017).

Much later, Choquequirao was visited by Hiram Bingham in 1909 on his way to Machu Picchu. The site

itself, while it had been mapped and charted to some extent by Hiram Bingham, but did not gain enough attention

for any excavations until the 1970’s (Foerster, 2017).

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