We wish to express that, from the beginning, the Koricancha Project was a challenge for both the Peruvian government and ourselves, because the archaeological zone where the Inca temples are located (Koricancha) is owned by the ORDER OF PREACHERS OF SANTO DOMINGO DE GUZMÁN. This property was ceded to the Dominican Order in 1534 by Juan Pizarro, half-brother of the conqueror Francisco Pizarro, shortly after the Spanish conquest of Cusco. The Dominicans built the Convent of Santo Domingo on its foundations, adapting the pre-existing Inca structures.
Throughout the entire 20th century and the beginning of this century, no archaeological investigations using modern technology had been conducted in its subsoil. Only in the last 75 years has reconstruction work been carried out, led by architect Oscar Ladrón de Guevara following the 1950 earthquake, which destroyed part of the current church. Additionally, the PER-39 project (Plan Copesco, 1975/1985) was launched, supported by an international agreement between UNESCO and the Peruvian Government, as part of a policy for the conservation of historical-artistic heritage.
Paradoxically, the most important temple of the Inca Empire is actually the least excavated and the most unknown. We wish to highlight that when we presented our project to the Peruvian Government, whose goal was to investigate the existence of the tunnels mentioned by many chroniclers and researchers that connect the Koricancha with the Saqsaywaman archaeological complex, the project would never have been possible without the intervention of the Prior of the Convent, Father Benigno Gamarra.
anselm pi rambla & prior benigno gamarra
During our first works, we used state-of-the-art remote sensing equipment with very satisfactory results. We discovered archaeological structures in many areas of the convent, including the Pinacoteca (Art Gallery), the First Cloister, the Temple of the Stars and, most importantly, in the church area where the following elements were found:
1) In the central nave, Inca walls beneath the Dominican coat of arms.
2) In the Gospel nave, a 17th-century colonial crypt near the transept and the Main Altar (Santa Rosa sector).
3) In the Epistle nave, the original foundations of the Hall of the Sun (the most important space of the Koricancha) and its exact location, long sought after by researchers like John Rowe. To our surprise, these foundations are not Inca but pre-Inca, made of green diorite, which leads us to re-evaluate the antiquity of the Koricancha.
4) In the bell tower, highly disturbed colonial burials (a mass grave) were found. In the southern part, a double-faced wall built with Killke stone was identified, where a series of completely aligned skulls (of a ritual type) were attached to the wall.
pirambla heritage team
Despite all these important discoveries, the georadar did not locate the crypt containing the entrance to the tunnel (Chinkana) through which Anselm Pi Rambla, Francesc Serrat, and the Prior of the Convent entered in 1982. The hasty conclusion reached by the Dominicans and some authorities was that the crypt and the tunnel (Chinkana) were not in the church sector, as the radar did not detect them.
excavations koricancha 2001-2002: architect ernesto paz & prior hector herrera
In response to this situation, it was decided to temporarily suspend work with permission from the INC (National Institute of Culture) to clarify the findings. Some excavated critical zones were left open and consolidated because we suspected they had been altered by the Dominicans, and it was unclear why the radar did not detect the crypt or the tunnel. We requested authorization from Prior Héctor Herrera to open an area adjacent to the Hall of the Sun in the Epistle sector, where the radar indicated significant anomalies. However, at that point, the situation changed drastically. The Dominicans prohibited further work, disagreed with our proposals, and, in coordination with the National Institute of Culture of Cusco, agreed to the definitive closure of the project.
anselm pi rambla, prior hector herrera & father pablo
On August 19, 2003, a transcript was signed at the National Institute of Culture of Cusco, requiring Pi Rambla to finance the closure of the site and permanently leave the Koricancha. A month later, the closure of the site and the definitive completion of the project were handed over to the Peruvian Government. However, shortly after, the Peruvian press (El Comercio, 08/23/2003) reported that the company had endangered the church
We want to emphasize, despite denials by some historians and archaeologists, that the Dominicans have long known about the existence of the tunnel (Chinkana) beneath Koricancha. Since the time of Francisco Pizarro, they were the first to discover it. After the 1650 earthquake, the church area built over the Incan temples was completely remodeled. Several crypts were built beneath the Main Altar, and the transept, floor, and some zones affected by the earthquake were modified.
Today, we know that from the 18th century until 1982, the fifth crypt remained completely sealed, with access restricted. Between 1986 and 1988, for unknown reasons (possibly related to the 1986 earthquake), the Dominicans decided to seal, block, and permanently hide the area. They replaced the wooden floor in the Epistle sector, where the crypt entrance was located, with tile flooring. This closure was kept strictly secret, and only a few Priors of the Convent were aware of it. Father Gamarra, as Prior and architect of the 2000 agreement signed with the government and our society, knew about the Chinkana from information passed down by his predecessors but did not know its exact location within the church or the extent of its concealment. In fact, we have evidence that in 1940, two priests entered the Chinkana and reached the famous labyrinths of Saqsaywaman mentioned by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.
Before concluding this report, we wish to disclose for the first time that, despite the forced
closure
of the project, we continued analyzing all excavation reports and thoroughly reviewed the
georadar data.
Unsurprisingly, thanks to advanced technology and meticulous attention to detail in our
research, we
were able to accurately locate the crypt (fifth crypt) within the church, in the sector where
Anselm Pi Rambla, Francesc Serrat, and the Prior entered in 1982.
Therefore, we are pleased to inform the international community that
THE FIFTH CRYPT AND THE CHINKANA EXIST AND ARE REAL.
anselm pi rambla, prior hector herrera & father pablo