Templo de la Luna: Cusco's Carved Moon Shrine
Templo de la Luna is a carved rock outcrop in the hills above Cusco, honouring the moon and hollowed into shadowy caves. A short uphill walk from San Blas brings you to stone thrones, cut steps and niches that catch the light, with almost nobody else around.
In Hidden Gems in Cusco · San Blas · Last updated 2 June 2026
- A carved cave shrine reached on a quiet hillside walk above San Blas
- Stone thrones, steps and niches cut straight from the living rock
- Free to enter, with no ticket desk and no queue
- Wide views back over the city from the surrounding hills
- Far stiller than nearby Sacsayhuamán, even in high season
What is Templo de la Luna
Templo de la Luna, known in Quechua as Amaru Marka Wasi, is an archaeological site in the hills north of the city of Cusco. It carries a tangle of other names too, among them Salunniyuq, Salunpunku and Laqu, and the name Amaru Marka Wasi is often read as snake, village, house. The site was possibly the residence of Amaru Yupanqui, the eldest son of the Inca ruler Pachakutiq Inka Yupanki.
What draws visitors is the stonework itself. The Incas worked a natural outcrop rather than building on top of it, cutting caves, altars, thrones and stepped platforms directly into the rock. Inside the shadowy chambers the carved niches read almost like furniture, and at certain hours light slips through openings in the stone and lands on them. The place has long been associated with fertility rites and lunar cycles, which is where the Spanish name comes from.
Why Templo de la Luna stays a hidden gem
The site sits east of Sacsayhuamán and south of Tambomachay and Puka Pukara, close to Qenko, and that is exactly the problem for it and the gift for you. Coach tours follow the famous circuit and rarely detour to a rock outcrop with no gate, no signage and no ticket office. Most days you can have the caves largely to yourself.
That emptiness is the whole point. Sacsayhuamán is monumental and busy, while Templo de la Luna is small, quiet and strange, a shrine you can sit inside rather than photograph from a rope line. Give it half an hour, let your eyes adjust to the dark, and the carvings start to make sense.
Walking up from San Blas
The classic approach is on foot from San Blas, climbing steadily out of the city on tracks through the hills. It is not a long walk, but Cusco sits high and the gradient bites, so allow more time than the distance suggests and go slowly if you have only just arrived. A taxi from the centre is the easy alternative, and drivers know the site by its Spanish name.
Once up there, the shrine pairs naturally with Qenko and Sacsayhuamán on the same outing, since all three sit on the hillside above the old town. Walk up, work along the ridge, and come back down into San Blas in the late afternoon.
Know before you go
- Acclimatise for a day or two before the climb, Cusco is high and the walk is steep.
- Bring a torch, the inner chambers are genuinely dark.
- Combine it with Qenko and Sacsayhuamán, all on the same hillside above the city.
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Templo de la Luna (Amaru Marka Wasi): frequently asked questions
What is Templo de la Luna in Cusco?
Templo de la Luna, or Amaru Marka Wasi, is an Inca site in the hills north of Cusco. A natural rock outcrop has been carved into caves, altars, thrones and niches, and the shrine is long associated with the moon and fertility rites.
Do you need tickets for Templo de la Luna?
No. Templo de la Luna is free and there is no ticket desk, so you can simply walk up and go in during daylight hours.
What are the Templo de la Luna hours?
The site is open through daylight hours, roughly 7am to 5:30pm daily. There is no gate as such, so it is best treated as a place to visit in good light rather than at dusk.
How do you get to Templo de la Luna from Cusco?
Most people walk up from San Blas on hillside tracks above the city. A taxi from central Cusco is the quicker option, and the site lies east of Sacsayhuamán, near Qenko.
Is Templo de la Luna worth visiting?
Yes, particularly if Sacsayhuamán feels too crowded. The carved caves are remarkable, the walk gives wide views back over Cusco, and the site is usually almost empty.
Why is it called Amaru Marka Wasi?
Amaru Marka Wasi is the Quechua name, often read as snake, village, house. The site may have been the residence of Amaru Yupanqui, eldest son of Pachakutiq Inka Yupanki, and it is also known as Salunniyuq, Salunpunku and Laqu.
More hidden gems in Cusco
Sources and further reading: Wikipedia: Amaru Marka Wasi.