Marcahuasi Ruins – Callahuanca, Peru - Atlas Obscura

Marcahuasi Ruins

Callahuanca, Peru

A mysterious pre-Incan ruin believed to have miraculous healing powers. 

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An ancient ruin site perched on a plateau in the Andes mountains, Marcahuasi was made famous by archaeologist Daniel Ruso in his book, Marcahuasi: The Story of a Fantastic Discovery. According to the book, it was believed that the ruins contain at least 22 vortexes of three different kinds of healing energies.

Marcahuasi is located near the Peruvian village of San Pedro de Casta. The villagers of San Pedro De Casta are thought to be the guardians of the ruins, and ask for a small fee from visitors who would like to see the site. After paying the fee, amateur explorers embark on a seven kilometer trek to the ruins, ascending mountains that disappear into the clouds.

The site features stone formations thought to be around 10,000 years old. The strange rocks resemble human, animal, and religious figures, and are thought to be the remains of a pre-Incan civilization, although there is some debate on where these structures actually came from. While many believe that the rocks were carved, it is also possible that simple erosion created the formations. There are also a number of ancient structures that prove there was a form of civilization at some point in the past lending credence to the theory that the rocks were created with intent.

As for the energy vortices that supposedly reside around the area, they are believed to have a sort of healing energy, with each vortex containing a specific kind of healing power. There aren’t any specifics about which vortex does what, but there’s a story about a Peruvian man who was paralyzed by a car accident who went to the ruins, and was miraculously healed by its energy after encountering a mysterious man in the ruins. Like the details of the healing energy vortexes, there’s no specifics about how the paralyzed man hiked up the seven kilometers to the ruins either.

Know Before You Go

Take a colectivo from Lima to Chosica (one hour). From there take a bus to San Pedro de Casta (3 or 4 hours). The bus will travel slowly up the mountain and you will see the landscape change from warm with tropical fruit trees, to cold and elevated.

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