What Inca site is known as the 'Sister of Machu Picchu'?

The Inca site known as the “Sister of Machu Picchu” is Choquequirao. The nickname comes from the two sites’ similar terraces, plazas, ceremonial buildings, and finely constructed stonework.

Choquequirao stands at about 3,050 metres in Peru’s Vilcabamba mountain range, overlooking the Apurímac River canyon. The complex covers roughly 1,800 hectares, but only an estimated 30–40% has been excavated. Its sectors include agricultural terraces, elite residences, religious spaces, warehouses, and ceremonial plazas.

The site was probably developed during the 15th and 16th centuries, with major growth associated with Pachacuti and his successor, Túpac Inca Yupanqui. Its position made it valuable as an administrative and religious centre, as well as a possible access point toward Vilcabamba. Some terrace walls feature striking white stone llama designs.

Choquequirao is much harder to reach than Machu Picchu: the traditional route requires a demanding, multi-day trek. That isolation has helped preserve its atmosphere, but it also means the ruins remain far less visited and only partly understood.