Puca Pucara

Puca Pucara ('Red Fortress' in Quechua, from the colour its limestone takes at sunset) is a small Inca ruin 7 kilometres northeast of Cusco on the road to Pisac — probably a military post and tambo (relay station) that guarded the approach to Cusco from the north and served as accommodation for travellers and officials moving between the capital and the Sacred Valley. The site sits just across the road from Tambomachay and is usually visited as part of the same circuit, which also includes Sacsayhuamán and Q'enqo.\n\nThe ruins are relatively modest — a few terraces, storerooms, and the remains of walls that allow you to make out the plan of a small defensive complex — but the position provides excellent views south over Cusco and north into the valley towards Pisac. The site is included in the Boleto Turístico (Cusco Tourist Ticket), making it an inexpensive add-on to a visit to Tambomachay or Sacsayhuamán.