Andenes of the Colca Canyon
Andenes del Colca · Colca Terraces · Coporaque Andenes
Middle Horizon to Inca ~800–1532 CE·Collagua and Cabana then Inca·🇵🇪 Arequipa, Colca Valley, Peru
About
About Andenes of the Colca Canyon
Pre-Inca Collagua/Cabana 1,000 km of stone-faced andenería staircasing the 3,270 m-deep Colca Canyon - world's second deepest. Terraces integrate amunas (infiltration canals), qochas (reservoirs) and waru waru drainage, irrigating 14,000 ha still farmed today. UNESCO agricultural heritage 1980. Inca later straightened and expanded Collagua foundations at Coporaque and Yanque.
Why it mattersLargest still-farmed pre-Inca terrace system after Tipón; amuna hydrology model.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Amuna gallery length mapping incomplete
- 02Why east canyon face terraced denser than west
Theories
- 01Vertical archipelago agriculture as Inca tribute capture
- 02Terraces as frost-mitigation climate engineering
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.800–1400 CE (Collagua/Cabana), Inca renovation 1400–1532
- Period
- Middle Horizon to Inca ~800–1532 CE
- Culture
- Collagua and Cabana then Inca
- Builders
- Collagua/Cabana farmers with later Inca administration
- Purpose
- Canyon-slope hydraulic agriculture for vertical archipelago economy
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.800–1400 CE (Collagua/Cabana), Inca renovation 1400–1532
Initial construction
c. 1693 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
15.6342° S · 71.6042° W · 3420 m · 2 mapped features
Coporaque Terrace Sector
terraceInca-upgraded Collagua terraces
15.6330° S · 71.6020° WYanque Amuna Canal
canalInfiltration gallery headwater
15.6355° S · 71.6060° W
Gallery