Choquequirao

Choquequirao name in Quechua is the Cradle of God, located above the Apurimac River a two day hike outside of Cusco. The ruins at are often considered the Sacred Sister to Machu Picchu like Machu Picchu it was first rediscovered by Hiram Bingham as well as its similar architecture and layout. The citadel has a temple, terraces, main plaza, and administrative buildings, living quarters for the aristocrats, water channels, aqueducts and springs. However unlike Machu Picchu, Choquequirao was largely forgotten again by the outside world until 1993 when the Peruvian Government began clearing the site. Choquequirao is substantially larger than Machu Picchu but to date only about 1/3 of it has been uncovered the rest remains covered by the dense jungle.The most recognizable feature at Choquequirao are the llama terraces where more than two dozen llamas are set into the stone terraces.