Shincal

Shincal de Quimivil, or simply El Shincal, is the ruin of a pre-Columbian Inca city located near the town of Londres, Belén Department, in the Catamarca Province. Argentina. The Inca settlement covering an area of about 30 hectares (74 acres), had a haukaypata or main square, five kallankas (halls) a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long (partly) underground aqueduct to provide fresh water, and about twenty colcas (warehouses). The Qhapaq ñan, in its main mountain trunk, crosses the settlement North to South, on the west side of the plaza. The urban layout of the road inside El Shincal is completed with a scenic architectural component: two twin hills about 25 metres (82 ft) high are located on both sides of the plaza, their tops were artificially flattened and walled with stones to a height of about 2 metres (6.6 ft). Both hills can be accessed through stone steps. The site was declared a National Historic Monument on November 5, 1997. The work carried out at the site has led to the recovery of its cultural, historical, and heritage value. Between 2013 and 2015, the re-valuation of El Shincal was completed, culminating in the inauguration of a new enhancement of the archaeological site.

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).