Ingapirca
The Largest Inca Ruin In Ecuador, A 15th Century Complex Built On A Canari Site, With The Oval Temple Of The Sun, Storehouses And A Sun Aligned Ceremonial Platform. Walls Fitted Without Mortar In The Inca Style; The Site Museum Shows Canari And Inca Objects. · Ingapirca, Canar
Ingapirca is the largest Inca ruin in Ecuador, set on a windy hillside at about 3,160 m above the village of the same name in Canar province, roughly 80 km north of Cuenca. The name is usually read as Inca wall. The Canari people built here first, around 500 AD, and the Inca took the site over in the 15th century. The best-known piece is the Temple of the Sun, an oval building of fitted stone with no mortar, and nearby is a ceremonial platform and a rock with a face-like shape. A modest site museum shows Canari and Inca pieces. Be honest about scale: this is much smaller than the great Peruvian sites, and the ruins take about an hour. It is a good half-day trip from Cuenca, not a reason to travel across the country. Dress warmly, because the site is cool, breezy and often cloudy, and bring water and a sun hat. Entry is cheap, the guides are local, and the village below has simple food, so the trip is easy to do on your own. Buses run from Cuenca every day, but the last one back leaves in the afternoon, so do not linger too long.
Inca and Canari ruins above the village of Ingapirca at about 3,160 m, about 80 km north of Cuenca and 2 hours by road, with a site museum, Ingapirca, Canar, Ecuador
The site is normally open every day, with the ticket office closing in the late afternoon, and the museum on the same schedule. The village market is busiest on Sunday. Hours change in holidays and bad weather, and some days can be CLOSED for events or works. Confirm current opening times locally or at the Cuenca tourist office before the long ride.