Coricancha Temple

Temple of Coricancha or Golden Temple, at the time of the Tawantinsuyo the Qoricancha was the main religious center, because in this place used to perform the worship of God Inti, it was also a political center.

Passing through Cusco is like going through a great open-air museum and among its masterpieces is the Inca temple of Coricancha, in which only the foundations remain and on them stands the convent of Santo Domingo.

This place, whose name means Quechua Golden Temple, was the political and religious center of the Tahuantinsuyo and the site where the Incas were united to Inti, the Sun God.

Coricancha attracts the attention of all tourists because it is a living example of the Hispanic imposition in Cusco and, in turn, of the impressive Inca architecture. The temple is in the history of history.

Coricancha during Inca times

There are several versions about who was the ruler who ordered the construction of Coricancha; while some claim that this building existed before the Incas and that they remodeled the building, others claim that it was the Inca Pachacutec who ordered the construction of the temple after his victory over the Chanchas in 1438.

Also, according to some historians, during the time of Manco Capac this was a small temple called Inti cancha, while with the arrival of Pachacutec the construction of its colossal size and was renamed Coricancha.

Like all Inca buildings, this temple was built on a base of stones carved with great precision and fitted with others without any mortar. In addition to an impressive size, these stones are striking for the large number of angles they have: some of them have up to 30 outlines that connect perfectly with all those around them.

Because it was dedicated to the Sun gods, this building was totally reduced by the gold plates, which made it much more ostentatious. In addition, inside the temple were represented in gold, silver and tumbaga. Some of the deities include elements of the fauna and flora of our country.

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the temple had a large number of rooms with different functions. Only the most important personalities of the time were allowed access to the interior, while the inhabitants of the entire empire came to this place to worship their gods outside. In addition, in the gardens of the lower part of the temple, the conquered tribes came to deliver their offerings.

Coricancha and the arrival of the Spaniards

In the year 1533, Coricancha suffered, like the whole country, the ambition of the Spanish conquerors, who are in the temple and the order of its large gold plates.

Juan Pizarro, brother of Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of Peru, received this temple and donated it to the Dominicans. After taking all the valuable elements and destroying most of the building, this religious order built on its foundations in the Convent of Santo Domingo.

Coricancha: archaeological site

• This temple was built during the rule of the Inca Huiracocha in the thirteenth century, approximately. The emperor Pachacutec, the builder of Machu Picchu, was the one who embellished it in the 15th century.
• The fine walls of the temple express the highest level of engineering reached by the Incas. Its walls fit perfectly without any mortar. It is known that a large part of the walls, as well as doors and temples were covered by a wide band of gold. After the Spanish invasion, the temple was looted and the gold stolen.

Recinto del Sol

• In this room there was a representation of the god Huiracocha and some Inca mummies. The enclosure was guarded by mamaconas or priestesses of the sun. This temple does not present any material in the unions of the stone blocks that form its walls and there is no space between the blocks, as if they could have molded the stones at will.

Star Enclosure

• In this temple the stars, servants of the moon, daughters of the sun and the moon, were worshipped. The Incas believed that the stars were placed in the sky in correspondence to all the animals of the earth. In the middle part of the Temple of the Stars you can see a ceremonial niche where you can see works made in low relief and bone remains of auquenidos. This niche is directly related to the sunrise during the winter solstice.

Rainbow Enclosure

• This temple is called the rainbow enclosure, because it was thought that the rainbow came from the sun. All the walls of the enclosure must have been completely covered with gold. According to the chroniclers, on a plate on the wall was the arch of the sky painted with its seven colors.

Sacrificial enclosure

• Adjacent to the rainbow enclosure there is a large space whose specific function has not yet been deciphered. In the middle of this enclosure there is a lithic element in the form of a table, brought from the sacred garden. That is why this room is known as a place of sacrifice. In the lower part of the wall there are three well carved holes that served as drainage.

Ceremonial fountain

• It is a fountain of the colonial time worked in hand that fulfilled the function of water deposit of octagonal form and quadrangular base. Some chroniclers affirm that it is of Inca origin and that chicha was poured into it as an offering to the sun god (god Inti).

Qoricancha, as a convent

The Convent of Santo Domingo is also located in the same Qoricancha, its entrance is through the temple and you can reach it by the same route as the museum and look for Ahuaypinta 659-A Street.

Data from the Santo Domingo Convent:

The Convent of Santo Domingo was created thanks to Juan Pizarro who gave the Qoricancha to the Dominican congregation in 1534, after the Spaniards had invaded Inca territories.

The construction of the temple of Santo Domingo was built on top of the ruins of the Inca site and took approximately 100 years.

The temple of Santo Domingo, like other archaeological sites suffered some damage during the earthquake of 1950, an earthquake that destroyed several places in this city.

The Qoricancha that we can see today was rebuilt in approximately 3 years.

What can we see?

• The baroque architecture of the exterior of the temple.
• Canvases of the walls made by the “Escuela Cusqueña”. They emphasize “The life of San Vicente Ferrer'”and “The life of Santo Domingo de Guzmán”.
• The Baroque pulpit.
• The stone church tower, a masterpiece of colonial stonework.

Hours and cost of admission to the Convent of Santo Domingo:

The entrance to the Convent of Santo Domingo is free during the masses: in the mornings 7:00 am and in the evenings 7:00 pm. Outside these hours you must pay an entrance ticket at the door. The approximate cost is 15 soles.

If you want to visit the Convent of Santo Domingo during the masses, you can count on the service of a guide who is always available to visitors. They will guide you and explain everything that the convent has to offer.