Temple of Viracocha

temple, San Pedro Cacha, Peru

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

The Temple of Viracocha, located in San Pedro Cacha, Peru, was a significant religious site. Viracocha was a creator deity, believed to have formed the sun and moon and taught civilization's arts to humanity. This deity was later incorporated into the Inca pantheon.1

The temple itself was a large structure, with a ground plan measuring 330 by 87 feet, suggesting it was designed for more than just storing priestly items. While the Sun Temple in Cuzco is more famous, the ruins at San Pedro Cacha highlight the importance of Viracocha in pre-Inca and Inca worship. The cult of Viracocha is ancient, possibly linked to ruins at Tiwanaku.21

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

pre-Columbian civilizations
Temples and shrines
The ruins of the Temple of Viracocha at San Pedro Cacha (Peru), however, had a ground plan that measured 330 by 87 feet, which indicates that it was designed for use other than the storage of priestly regalia.
Read More
The ruins of the Temple of Viracocha at San Pedro Cacha (Peru), however, had a ground plan that measured 330 by 87 feet, which indicates that it was designed for use other than the storage of priestly regalia.
Read More