Kusichaka River

Kusichaka River (Quechua kusi delight, joy, happiness / merry, joyful, content, happy, chaka bridge, "joy bridge", hispanicized spellings Cusichaca, Cusichaka, Kusichaca) or K'usichaka River (k'usi a cucurbit species, a small zucchini or Cucurbita pepo, "zucchini (or Cucurbita pepo) bridge"), is a river in Peru located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, on the border of the districts Machupicchu and Ollantaytambo. Its waters flow to the Willkanuta River.

Kusichaka River originates in the Willkapampa mountain range east of the mountain Salkantay, south of the Pallqay (Paljay) and southwest of the Wayanay. Its direction is mainly to the northeast along the villages Pampaqawana (Pampacahuana), Ch'uru (Churo), Pawqarkancha (Paucarcancha), Ranrapata and Inkachimpa (Incachimpa).

Some of its little affluents are Llulluch'a River (Llullucha) from the left and Ch'urumayu (Churomayo) and Kiskamayu (Quesjamayo) from the right. Shortly before the Kusichaka River meets the Willkanuta River it flows along the archaeological site Patallaqta. The confluence of the rivers is between the villages Quriwayrachina (Qoriwayrachina) and Pincha Unuyuq (Pichanuyoc, Pinchaunuyoc).

The Kusichaka valley is an archaeologically important region in Peru, significant for the evidence that it has provided of Inca civilization. It was an agriculturally important part of the Inca empire.

The valley has been the subject of intensive archaeological study over many years under the direction of Dr. Ann Kendall O.B.E., of the Cusichaca Trust. Since its inception the trust has evolved and now also works with highland farming communities in the rehabilitation of abandoned systems of irrigation canals and agricultural terraces, along with the revitalization of other traditional technologies. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s numerous archaeological volunteers from Britain, Peru, N. America and other countries worked on the Cusichaca Project and as a result it is one of the most comprehensively studied areas of Peru