Qorikancha: Cusco’s Temple of the Sun (2026 Guide)
In the heart of Cusco stands the strangest and most revealing building in the city: Qorikancha, once the most important temple in the entire Inca Empire — its walls reportedly sheathed in sheets of gold — with a Spanish colonial church built directly on top of it. The name means “Golden Enclosure” in Quechua, and even stripped of its treasure, the Inca stonework here is the finest you’ll see anywhere.
Here’s what to know before you visit.
Quick Answer
- What: the Inca Empire’s principal temple (the Temple of the Sun), in central Cusco.
- Famous for: walls once covered in gold, and the most precise Inca masonry in the city — with the Santo Domingo church built on the original foundations.
- Also spelled: Coricancha / Qoricancha / Koricancha.
- Ticket: a separate entrance fee (not the Boleto Turístico), paid at the door.
- Time: about 1–1.5 hours; it’s walkable from the Plaza de Armas.
What Qorikancha Was
Qorikancha was the spiritual center of the Inca world — dedicated primarily to Inti, the sun god. Early chroniclers described courtyards and walls lined with gold, gold and silver representations of nature, and a great sun disc. When the Spanish arrived, the gold was stripped and melted down, and the Dominicans built the church and convent of Santo Domingo on the temple’s foundations.
What survived is the point: the Spanish couldn’t move the Inca stonework, so they built on it. Earthquakes that later cracked the colonial structure left the Inca walls standing — the clearest possible demonstration of how good Inca engineering was.
What to See
- The curved wall — a perfectly built, gently tapering Inca wall that has survived every earthquake since; one of the most photographed pieces of masonry in Peru.
- The temple chambers — rooms once dedicated to the sun, moon, stars, thunder and the rainbow, with classic Inca trapezoidal niches and doorways.
- The Santo Domingo church and cloister built directly over and around the Inca structure — the two civilizations layered in one building.
- The gardens and viewpoint overlooking the site from the Inca terraces below.
Tickets & How to Visit
- Entry: Qorikancha has its own entrance fee, paid at the door — it is *not* included in the Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico) that covers Sacsayhuamán and the Sacred Valley.
- Location: central Cusco, an easy walk (about 10 minutes) downhill from the Plaza de Armas.
- Guide: a guide adds a lot here, because the layered Inca/colonial history isn’t obvious from signage alone — many Cusco city tours include Qorikancha.
- Hours: open daily with a break/limited hours on Sundays; confirm locally as times change.
How It Fits Your Cusco Days
Qorikancha pairs naturally with the rest of central Cusco on an easy, low-effort day while you acclimatize. Combine it with the Cathedral and San Blas, and with the ruins above town — see our Sacsayhuamán guide and the wider top things to do in Cusco. For sequencing your days, see how many days to spend in Cusco, and acclimatize first per our altitude sickness in Cusco guide.
How to Book
At Viajes Peru Tour we include Qorikancha in our Cusco city tours with an expert guide who unpacks the Inca-and-colonial story, and we can build it into your full Cusco and Machu Picchu itinerary. Tell us your dates.
[Plan a Cusco city tour with Qorikancha →]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Qorikancha?
Qorikancha (also spelled Coricancha) was the Inca Empire’s most important temple — the Temple of the Sun — in central Cusco. Its walls were once covered in gold, and the Spanish built the Santo Domingo church on its foundations.
Is Qorikancha included in the Cusco Tourist Ticket?
No — Qorikancha has its own separate entrance fee paid at the door. The Boleto Turístico covers Sacsayhuamán and the Sacred Valley sites, but not Qorikancha.
How long do you need at Qorikancha?
About one to one and a half hours. It’s in central Cusco, a short walk from the Plaza de Armas, so it’s easy to combine with the rest of the city.
Why is there a church on top of Qorikancha?
After the conquest, the Spanish stripped the temple’s gold and built the church and convent of Santo Domingo directly on the Inca foundations — which proved far more earthquake-resistant than the colonial structure above.
How do you pronounce Qorikancha?
Roughly “ko-ree-KAN-cha.” You’ll also see it written Coricancha, Qoricancha or Koricancha.
*Last updated: September 2026 | Written by the Viajes Peru Tour team*
*Opening hours and ticket prices are set locally and can change. Confirm current details when booking.*
