On Location Video: Can a cable car save this lost Inca ruin?
Choquequirao, or Crade of Gold, rivals Machu Picchu in beauty and importance, but gets a fraction of the visitors. The Peruvian government says that has to change.
CHOQUEQUIRAO, Peru — In a remote corner of Peruvian cloud forest lie the ruins of a mysterious Inca citadel, Choquequirao, which translates as Cradle of Gold from the native Quechua language. Perched high above the Apurimac canyon, one of the deepest in the world, its solitude offers a welcome break from the crowded tourist trail to its better-known cousin, Machu Picchu.
But that is about to change. The Peruvian government wants to build a $50-million cable car to bring more visitors here. It’s part of a national plan to take the pressure off Machu Picchu and raise money to preserve Peru’s dozens of other dazzling but little known archaeological sites. But some worry the effort to save Choquequirao will end up ruining it.
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