After visiting Andahuaylillas and Raqchi we continued driving South East of Cuzco, on the road leading toward Puno, there we arrived at the Pueblo Of Pucará, sometimes spelled Pukara, approximately 80km. northwest of Lake Titicaca, at Km. 106 of the Puno- Cuzco highway. Pucará is a quiet pueblo of a few thousand residents. The Plaza de Armas contains a beautiful colonial church containing a large mural of the Jatun Ñak'aq, El Gran Degollador (or Decapitator), with a typical Pucará ceramic bull. The Museo Lítico de Pukara is located just off the Plaza de Armas, on the road that leads to the archaeological site. Small restaurants, stores, and an artesanía shop are located just off of the Plaza. Pucará is famous for it's ceramic production, a tradition dating back at least 2500 years. The most famous of it's ceramic figurines are the Pucará bulls or toritos; which can be found found throughout the altiplano on the roofs of houses to bring luck and fertility. Even though it is said that Pukara is where the tradition of torito production began; the real source of the the torito production is in the community of Checa Pupuja in the district of Santiago de Pupuja. Walking through town one can see hornos (ovens) from the Republican Period and if you look closely, just about every adobe wall in town is full of pottery sherds from over the thousands of years of the town's occupation. Pottery production, is not performed during the entire year and many Pucareños tend herds of camelids (llamas and alpacas) and cattle in and near the pueblo. There are crops grown in this area, mostly tubers and quinua. Evidence of ancient raised fields across the pampas can still be seen. Many families own homes in Pucará as well as smaller homes in the campo for tending their fields and animals.
We visited this ruins on April 19, 2006 at about 8:30 AM and again on April 21, at about 10:00 AM.
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| Pucará Plaza de Armas and Colonial Church |
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| Pucará Pueblo From Pucará Ruins |
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| Pucará Pueblo Colonial Church From Pucará Ruins |
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| Pucará Pueblo Typical Countryside Home. Note Toritos On Roof. |
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| Waiting For The Bus | Market Owner |
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| Pucará Church Dome | A Funeral |
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| Souvenirs | Pucará or Pukara Toritos |
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| Souvenirs | Tourist Market |
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| Toritos, On Every House Toritos Pottery Is Speciality Of Pukara | Toritos, On Every House Toritos Pottery Is Speciality Of Pukara |
