The South American country of Peru is world-famous for its Incan ruins, especially the archaeological site of Macchu Picchu. Cusco-based sculptor, Michael de Titan is carrying on the Incan tradition of merging art with nature with the completion of his latest project, Apukunaq Tianan (meaning “abode of the gods”). Located about 40 minutes away from Cusco, this modern tourist attraction features an array of sculptures that are carved directly into the same rock of the mountain.
Among the figures is a depiction of the Andean creator deity Viracocha (or Wiracocha), the Incan Mother Earth goddess Pachamama, the head of a puma (which is a part of the Incan trilogy of symbolic animals), and the face of the last monarch of the Neo-Incan state, Túpac Amaru. De Titan used only a chisel and hammer to add these incredible works of art into the mountain face. All of the sculptures range between 15 and 17 meters (49.2 and 55.8 feet) in height.
Apukunaq Tianan’s opening in 2021 coincides with the bicentennial year of Peru’s independence. You can learn more about the sculptures—including current visiting hours and admission prices—by following the attraction on Facebook.
Peruvian sculptor Michael de Titan has carved figures based on Andean gods into the same rock.
These sculptures are part of a new tourist attraction in Cusco, Peru called Apukunaq Tianan, meaning “the abode of the gods.”
It has opened in 2021 in celebration of the bicentennial year of Peru’s independence.
