Archive · 5 Jan 2026
500-Year-Old Labyrinth Found Under Peru Temple
Archaeologists have found a big network of tunnels under an old temple in Peru.
These tunnels are called a chincana and are about 500 years old.
They connect the temple to other important places like a fortress.
The tunnels are about 1.6 kilometres long and are wide and tall enough for people to walk through.
The archaeologists used special tools to find these tunnels and think the Inca people built them.
They want to explore the tunnels more to learn about how they were used.
Archaeologists discovered a labyrinth of tunnels under the Incan Temple of the Sun in Cusco, Peru.
The tunnels, known as a chincana, stretch up to 1.6 kilometres and connect the temple to the fortress of Sacsahuaman.
Historical references from the 16th century hinted at the existence of these tunnels.
The tunnels are approximately 8.5 feet wide and 5.2 feet high, suggesting they were used for transportation.
Researchers used acoustic prospecting and ground-penetrating radar to map the tunnel system.
- Who
- Archaeologists led by Jorge Calero Flores
- What
- Discovery of a labyrinth of tunnels under the Incan Temple of the Sun
- When
- Recently confirmed, with historical references dating back to the 16th century
- Where
- Cusco, Peruvian Andes
- Why
- To confirm the existence of the labyrinth and understand its purpose and construction
- Location
- Incan Temple of the Sun, Cusco, Peruvian Andes
- Length of Tunnels
- Up to 1.6 kilometres
- Width of Tunnels
- 8.5 feet
- Height of Tunnels
- 5.2 feet
- Historical References
- 16th-century Jesuit texts and a document by Anello de Oliva
- Discovery Method
- Acoustic prospecting and ground-penetrating radar
- Main Branch Connection
- Temple of the Sun to the fortress of Sacsahuaman