The Coricancha was a religious complex in the Inca Empire. It is estimated that around 1.5 million tourists visit Cusco every year. The highest concentration of tourists is in June, when the historical celebration of the Inti Raymi (the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere) takes place.
The Coricancha is one of the major tourist attractions in Cusco, Peru. It contained the Temple of the Sun, the Inca world’s center. The ruins are located in Santo Domingo Plaza in Cusco. When the Spanish arrived in Cusco, they destroyed most of the Coricancha and built the Santo Domingo Church on the foundations, preserving only a small part of the original beauty.
Sections of the fine outer and inner stone walls and the legendary tales of the enormous quanтιтies of gold used to build the temples and a plain entryway into the complex are what remain today.
The construction of Coricancha underwent several stages across different periods. In the imperial Inca era, it served as a temple dedicated to the Sun God, Inti. During the colonial period, modifications accommodated the church and convent of Santo Domingo. After the 1950 earthquake, which destroyed parts of the Spanish structures and revealed the Inca walls, a site museum replaced the old convent. Today, these structures coexist, showcasing the blend of two cultures.
What is Coricancha?
Known as the “patio of gold,” the Coricancha is a sacred site revered since pre-Inca times, dedicated to the solar deity. Designed around an ample open central space (Inca cancha), the Coricancha housed various chambers arranged around this patio.
This sacred place, the home of Inca gods, was ceremonial. The central patio had six rectangular chambers built with finely carved stone blocks and surrounded by lateral walls, all intended for worship.
According to Garcilaso de la Vega, the curved wall visible today is the most sacred space of the Temple of the Sun. The main altar, oriented to the east, had a wooden roof covered with straw. The four walls of the temple were adorned with gold plates. The main altar featured a golden figure of the sun, depicted as a round face with rays and flames.
Cusco, located in the Huatanay River basin, was founded between the Saphy and Tullumayu rivers, both now channeled. Coricancha Temple, built in 1438 during the reign of Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui, was decorated with gold and became known as the “golden temple.”
Following the Spanish invasion in 1553, Coricancha Cusco continued to serve as a Catholic worship site. Fray Juan de Olías led the construction of the church and convent of Santo Domingo on the Inca temple’s foundations in 1538. By 1610, it had transformed into a Cusco Baroque temple and was officially consecrated in 1633. The 1650 earthquake caused severe damage, and the temple’s reconstruction finished in 1681.
Cusco, located near the Tambomachay fault, has experienced several earthquakes. The 1950 quake, measuring 7.0, destroyed many buildings, revealing the sturdy Inca walls of Coricancha-Santo Domingo. This event divided Cusco’s society: indigenists, led by Luis E. Valcárcel, and Dominicans who defended colonial reconstruction. The lack of funds for demolishing colonial remnants led to an agreement to preserve both monuments.
The Coricancha—Santo Domingo complex is a significant monument combining Andean and Catholic worship. Its magnificent Inca and colonial construction, along with nearby archaeological sites, make it one of Cusco’s most visited tourist attractions.
Coricancha comes from two Quechua words: “Cori,” which means gold, and “Cancha,” which means courtyard or enclosure. Together, it translates to “The Golden Courtyard.” Chroniclers referred to it as the house of gold due to the abundance of this metal there.
Coricancha & Santo Domingo are located in the city of Cusco, in the province and department of Cusco, at an alтιтude of 3,398 meters above sea level.
The construction of Coricancha underwent several stages across different periods. In the imperial Inca era, it served as a temple dedicated to the Sun God, Inti. During the colonial period, modifications accommodated the church and convent of Santo Domingo. After the 1950 earthquake, which destroyed parts of the Spanish structures and revealed the Inca walls, a site museum replaced the old convent. Today, these structures coexist, showcasing the blend of two cultures.
