A team of archaeologists in Peru announced they uncovered a hidden Inca tunnel network that puzzled scientists for centuries. The network connects various points of interest in Cusco. Archaeologists Jorge Calero and Mildred Fernandez, along with their research team, gathered sufficient evidence to demonstrate the existence of the tunnel network.
The announcement was made on Monday, January 6, at a press conference in the Municipality of Cusco.
According to their discoveries, the main tunnel of the Chincana, which means labyrinth in Quechua, connects the temple of the sun, and three additional ancient points of interest, Sacsayhuamán, Muyumarca, and Calispuquio.
The discovery of the hidden Inca tunnel network was in the making since 1600 AD
The first clue about the existence of the Chincana came from an anonymous Jesuit chronicle in 1600. The man explained that while a church was being constructed, care was taken not to disturb a deep cave made by Inca kings traversing the entire city of Cusco.
Additionally, the chronicle detailed that the entrance to this cave was located at the fortress of Sacsayhuamán. This cave was the hidden Inca tunnel network Calero and Fernandez discovered.
Other historical chronicles detailed the existence of the tunnel network. For instance, a 19th-century archaeologist, Ephraim Squier, also said the entrance to the Chincana was in an H-shaped temple.
It was still unknown where the tunnels were located. To better understand the tunnels’ location, the researchers consulted historian Manuel Chavez Ballon, the father of archaeology in Cusco. He advised the team to look under the roads in the city themselves, especially under the sidewalks.
Científicos confirman la existencia de la Chincana, una red de calles subterráneas bajo Cusco. La vía principal de la Chincana, caracterizada por curvas e inflexiones, conecta el Coricancha con Sacsayhuamán en un recorrido de 1.750 metros, con una profundidad entre 1,4 y 2,5m. pic.twitter.com/cJtFUho2OP
— Josué Machaca (@cambiemos_peru) January 9, 2025
Advanced technology was used to prove the existence of the Chincana
With the clues they had obtained, the researchers set out to prove the tunnels existed. First, they did a sound test. Every 50 cm along the suspected way, they struck a metal plate against the ground using a sledgehammer.
The intensity of the echo indicated where there was a hollow structure, such as a tunnel. In this way, they began to follow the path of the tunnel network.
Once they understood the potential layout of the tunnel network, the research team used geo radars to trace its path. These devices emit electromagnetic waves to capture images of the tunnel’s interior. With this, they determined the tunnels are at a depth that oscillates between 1,4 and 2,5 meters.
The team is now determined to find the tunnel network’s remaining segments. Excavations at what are believed to be key points of the Chincana are expected to begin in March of this year.
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