Runkuraqhay
The Inca Ruins of Runkuraqhay is located 200 meters about the valley of “Pacaymayu”, at an altitude of 3,800masl. The American explorer Mr. Hiram Bingham got the name Runkuraqhay from his local native porters. Victor Angles has suggested that, since the word “Runku” doesn’t exist in (Cusco) Quechua, Bingham must have misheard them, and the name should be Runturacay, meaning “egg shaped building.”
The circular shape of the main structure at Runkuraqhay is unusual for a large Inca construction .The two concentric walls of the enclosure form two long, curved chambers and four small ones, all giving onto a central courtyard. The outer walls are massive and solid, and have no windows, but the eastern quarter of the courtyard is open, giving a magnificent view over the Pacamayu valley. The site might have served as a lookout point (most of the sites in this region command the landscape visually for kilometers in every direction), and also as a “Tambo” a place where travelers lodged, animals were corralled and cargoes were relayed.
The weather in Runkuraqhay is normally cold doe to its location; the environment is of straw which the Incas use to cover its houses.