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| Events of interest |
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 Inty Raimi Feast
This festival is celebrated in June on a movable date and lasts for three days. National folklore groups participate, the Ñusta is chosen, a rodeo is held, fireworks are set off and so forth. This festival is a celebration of the Inca custom of thanking the Sun God for his bountiful gifts.
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 Indian Market
This market is held every Friday. The people of Ingapirca gather in an area near the archeological complex to barter for livestock products, foods and handicrafts. The Cañari cowboys attend in their tanned lambskin chaps and the other dwellers in their typical garments.
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Ecuador’s most important archeological complex of the Cañari and Inca cultures, Ingapirca, built of perfectly worked stones joined together with a natural mortar, still stands in the province of Cañar. Elliptic in shape, this Temple of the Sun was used by the Cañari-Inca cultures mainly for ceremonies and rituals, although it also had strategic and military purposes. The ruins consist of a cemetery, solar observatories, roads, storage areas, priests’ chambers, and a native square, among other elements. Remains of the same culture can be seen in Azuay, as well: Todos Santos and Pumapungo, which reveal the existence of a religious complex outfitted with storage rooms, a temple to the sun, a mausoleum, gardens and a chamber for the chosen women.
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Access |
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The Ingapirca archeological complex in Cañar province can be reached by bus from Cuenca in a two-hour drive. The Cañar cooperative runs this bus, which leaves Cuenca at 9:00 a.m.
From Guayaquil, visitors must drive to the wayside stall at Km 73, take the left-hand road and advance another 8 km. to reach the archeological complex.
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Tourist Attractions |
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 Ingapirca Castle
One of the most important examples of Inca architecture, this construction dating back to the reign of Hayna Capac stands at the top of a hill. It consists of an ellipse, chambers, patios, storage areas and baths. It is generally believed that Ingapirca was not only a fortress, but also an administrative and religious center because the sun worshipping ceremonies were conducted there.
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 Temple
Located at the center of the archeological complex, the elliptically shaped temple is very solid with walls less than four meters high. Both the door and the niches in the walls are trapezoidal in shape and the worked stone blocks are fitted together without any cementing material.
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 Chambers
Located on one side of the temple, they were probably outfitted for use by the priests and their rites because one of the walls contains a large number of niches.
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 Archeological Museum
The on-site museum next to the archeological complex has an explanatory scale model of Ingapirca on display, together with a large assortment of articles found during the dig that demonstrate the presence of the Cañari and Inca cultures. Visitors can examine textiles, ceramics and jewelry used by those dwellers.
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