When the Inca came to Waqra Pukar, they designated it a sacred place, but it was used for ceremonies and pilgrimages with pre-Inca cultures as well He believes that Waqra Pukar was not residential or military, noting that terraces below it were used for ceremonial plants, likely for offerings made at the site and that the scale would not have supported a large, year-round population (the site itself is only about 12 acres). "When the Inca came to Waqra Pukar, they designated it a sacred place, but it was used for ceremonies and pilgrimages with pre-Inca cultures as well," Montufar explained. The triple door jambs are a sign of the site's spiritual significance (Credit: Heather Jasper) Further signs of its spiritual significance lie in a detail of the door frames, which feature triple jambs. Most Inca doors have the same trapezoidal shape, but only the most venerated places feature these three recessed frames-within-frames.

"This is only seen in a very few places that were very important. Even Cusco, Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu don't have triple door jambs," said Montufar. "It is only found in older, ancestral places like Maukallaq'ta, Isla del Sol [both rumored to be the legendary "birthplace" of the Inca] and Isla de la Luna [where Viracocha, the creator deity of the Inca, raised the Moon into the sky] on Lake Titicaca. It was used as a place for special rituals." And like so many sacred places in Peru, Waqra Pukar is linked to the Qhapaq an, or Inca Trail, a system of roads that connected the Inca Empire throughout Peru and extended as far north as Colombia and south to Argentina.

"Waqra Pukara is not alone, it has several related archaeological sites nearby. There are cemeteries, a system of roads that connect to the Qhapaq an, and petroglyphs. It's a very large network. The location grants territorial control of the whole area," Montfar said. "Another interesting aspect of Waqra Pukara is how the walls and terraces conform to the natural curves of the topography. That's what makes it such a beautiful sight. The terraces strengthen the existing topography to prevent erosion and landslides. They stabilise the wide flat platforms that were built on the site."

The most distinctive aspect of the site, however, is its "horns", the twin rock formations that rise above it and make it instantly recognisable. Despite its name, Montufar says they aren't horns at all but likelier the ears of the llama, sightings of which are practically unavoidable during the trek up from Aqokunka trailhead. Unlike the animals at Machu Picchu, these aren't brought in for tourists; these higher elevations (around 3,500 to 5,00m) are the animal's natural habitat. The hike from the Aqokunka trailhead to Waqra Pukar takes around two to four hours, depending on fitness (Credit: Heather Jasper) Visiting the site is an unforgettable experience. It's a 10k trek roundtrip from the trailhead and back, and while the path is fairly intuitive, you likely won't see any other hikers, so a guide is recommended. GETTING THERE: