Kanamarka, Archaeological site in Espinar Province, Peru

Kanamarka is an archaeological site in the Alto Pichigua district of Espinar Province, Cusco, Peru. It lies in a hollow at 3,950 metres above sea level and covers one hectare, divided into an upper sector, Tinkuq, and a lower one, Tupaq Yupanqui. Its circular and rectangular enclosures are built of stone and mud.

Kanamarka belonged to the pre-Inca K'anas culture and later to the Inca. The site is divided into Tinkuq, the upper part, and Tupaq Yupanqui, the lower part, names that link the two sectors to Inca rule. Its circular and rectangular rooms were built of stone and mud.

The name comes from Aymara language, combining K'ana meaning braided and Marca meaning town, which reflects the speech of people who lived here before the Inca arrived.

Kanamarka sits in a hollow at 3,950 meters above sea level, in the Alto Pichigua district of Espinar Province, Cusco Department. The site covers about one hectare, split between the upper sector of Tinkuq and the lower sector of Tupaq Yupanqui. The ground is high Andean puna, so plan for cold, wind and strong sun.

In 2004 archaeologists found the burial of an elite woman called the Lady of K'anamarka, which revealed how high-ranking people were buried at the site. This discovery showed that the settlement had complex social organization and special burial practices for leaders.