Qoricancha

Qoricancha Qoricancha or Coricancha is the most important and most famous temple in all of the Inca Empire. The temple resides in Cusco, Peru which was once the capital of the great Inca Empire. Its original name was “Inti Wasi” or Sun House in Quechua after the ancient Inca sun god Inti. Though it was named after Inti, the temple was devoted to the highest of the Inca gods like the creator Viracocha and the sun god’s partner, Quilla the moon goddess. The exact date of construction is unknown but its construction was under the rule of the ninth Sapa, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, between 1438-1471 AD. It is known for its extreme importance to the Inca as the most sacred temple in all of its empire. The site is known for its historical importance as the center of the Inca empire. The buildings design was extremely intricate. From an aerial view, the temple depicts a sun emitting rays but the interior of the temple is covered in gold and extraordinary stories. The walls were covered in sheets of gold from top to bottom in honor of the sun god because it was thought that gold was the sweat of Inti. The temple once housed a statue of the sun god made completely of gold embezzled with precious stones. The statue stored the vital organs and ashes of past Inca Sapa within its hollowed stomach. Like many religious cultures, the Inca wanted to please the sun god so they designed an array of elegant statues resembling fields of corn, shepherds, llamas, jaguars, guinea pigs, and other exotic animals all from gold and silver. Similar to other Inca structures, the temple was built using stones that were fitted perfectly with no need for mortar or adhesive. This is a very common building technique called dry stone; the Inca utilized this for a majority of its buildings. Today, much of the of temple has been destroyed and looted after the war with the invading Spanish conquistadors in the 1500’s (16th century). The temple was stripped of almost everything and just the basic structures exist today. The Spanish took it upon themselves to destroy parts of the temple and constructed the Christian monastery of Santo Domingo in an effort to make the Inca submit to Christianity. Although the temple has lost a majority of its original artifacts, the temple still embodies the characteristics of what once was the Inca Empire.

By Bobby Cortesi