Huánuco Pampa
Huánuco Viejo / Wanakupampa
Inca Late Horizon 1460–1532 CE·Inca (Wanka mitma)·🇵🇪 Huánuco, Dos de Mayo, Peru
About
About Huánuco Pampa
Major Inca administrative city (1460–1532 CE) on Qhapaq Ñan at 3633 m, densest Inca site outside Cusco: 500+ storerooms (qollqas), 3000+ building footprint on plateau, 2 km × 500 m orthogonal plan with Inca kancha compounds, ushnu platform 32×32 m × 4 m and kallanka hall 32 m long. Joseph— Storehouse state storage for ch'arki and tubers feeding Chinchaysuyu mit'a. Morris-Thompson excavated 1960s–80s.
Why it mattersLargest Inca provincial capital and storehouse system demonstrating Inca decimal administration and mit'a storage economy.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Qollqa count 500 vs higher estimates including collapsed
- 02Huanuco Pampa vs Huanuco Viejo identification—same site
Theories
- 01Inca storage economy model: state buffering against famine
- 02Orthogonal plan as ideal Inca cosmology vs practical surveying
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1460–1532 CE
- Period
- Inca Late Horizon 1460–1532 CE
- Culture
- Inca (Wanka mitma)
- Builders
- Inca Pachacuti–Tupac Yupanqui
- Purpose
- Provincial administrative capital and massive qollqa storage depot for Chinchaysuyu suyu
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1460–1532 CE
Initial construction
c. 1490 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
9.8747° S · 76.7367° W · 3633 m · 2 mapped features
Huánuco Pampa central feature
featureMain architectural feature
9.8747° S · 76.7367° WHuánuco Pampa secondary sector
sectorSecondary sector
9.8737° S · 76.7357° W
Gallery