Pukara facts for kids

Part of the ancient Pukará de Quitor fortress, seen from inside.

Ruins of the Pucará de Tilcara in Argentina.

A Pukara (pronounced poo-kah-RAH) is an old word from the Aymara and Quechuan languages that means "fortress." These were defensive sites, usually built on hilltops, by people living in the central Andes region long ago. This area stretches from Ecuador down to central Chile and northwestern Argentina.

Some pukaras were temporary safe places where people could hide during times of fighting. Others were lived in all the time. These fortresses became very common during a period called the Late Intermediate Period (around 1000 to 1430 AD). The Inca Empire also used pukaras, especially in areas where they were fighting to expand their borders. Even the Spanish, when they arrived, used the term "pukara" to describe the earth forts built by the Mapuche people during the Arauco War in the 1500s and 1600s.

Today, the word "Pukara" is often found in place names across the Andes. You might see it in names like Pucará de Tilcara, Pucará de Turi, and Pukará de Quitor.

The Pucará ground attack aircraft from Argentina is also named after these strong fortresses.

Where Were Inca Pukaras Built?

An old drawing from 1615 by the Inca artist Guamán Poma. It shows a native pukara and a Spanish fortress in Chile.

Most Inca pukaras were built near the edges of the Inca Empire. Many of them are found in northern Ecuador. This shows that the Incas faced strong resistance when they tried to expand their empire there. Old Spanish writers who wrote about Inca history also confirmed this.

North of Quito, the Incas met tough opposition from several groups of people, known as the Pais Caranqui. The Pambamarca Fortress Complex was a group of pukaras built by the Incas to help them fight against the Cayambe people. Other pukaras were built around the town of Caranqui. These helped the Incas finally defeat these groups and add them to the Inca Empire. These wars likely happened between 1490 and 1520.

In Peru, there are hundreds of towns, ruins, and places named Pucara. However, we don't know how many of these were actual fortresses built or used by the Inca Empire. Since the time of the Spanish colony, it became common to call any place that looked like a fortress a "pucara," even if it was never used as one.

How Many Inca Pukaras Are There?

Archaeologists have studied and counted the known Inca pukaras. Here is a general idea of how many have been found in different countries:

See also

In Spanish: Pucará (fortificación) para niños