Case file · Folklore / legend

The chincana tunnels of Cuzco

Garcilaso de la Vega described in 1609 a labyrinth beneath Sacsayhuamán's towers; later legend says tunnels run to the Coricancha and have swallowed explorers who never returned.

1609 CE · -13.51, -71.98 · status: legend

The sceptical view

There are short natural and carved passages, such as the Chincana at Sacsayhuamán, but no city-wide tunnel system has been found; stories of lost students with golden corn are modern folklore.

Connections in the atlas

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Sacsayhuamán
Open it in the living atlas