Peru is a land full of vibrant culture and traditions, and we love sharing its classic tales with you. Today, we bring you another fascinating story in our Peruvian Legends section!
The legend of the golden corn cob is one that Peruvian parents have passed down from generation to generation.
Chincanas, or Inca tunnels, are a fascinating part of Cusco’s traditions and stories, filled with intriguing mysteries.
These tales are not only charming but also carry deeper meanings that encourage us to reflect. So, let’s explore it together as we see the connection between.
The Classic Golden Corn Cob Tale
To begin with, the story starts in a small farming family, a father, a mother, and their five children, faced tough times. They depended on a little cornfield for their food.
The dedicated mother took care of everything. She planted the crops, harvested the corn, cooked meals, cleaned the house, and made sure her children went to school.
Sadly, her husband did not help her. Each afternoon, she sold what corn she could at the market. One evening, feeling tired and worried, she realized she had little left for dinner and nothing to sell.
Heartbroken, she cried, knowing that if her husband pitched in, they could gather more. However, he stayed idle.
Just when she felt like giving up, she saw a strange glow in the corn pile. At first, she thought it was early, but then she remembered it was actually getting late.
Curious, she searched the pile and discovered a golden corn cob shining brightly among the others. Excited, she rushed to share the news with her husband, who was resting in a hammock.
Surprised, he examined the golden corncob and realized how hard his wife had worked. Feeling guilty, he knelt down, asked for her forgiveness. Then, he promised to help from then on.
Later, they sold the golden corn cob and used the money to plant more crops, fix their home, and buy clothes for their children.
From that day forward, the father worked side by side with his wife. Their harvests grew, and they never went hungry again.
The Cusco Golden Cub Tale
If that sounded to you like a children’s tale (well, kinda it is), prepare to listen to this story. The story says that three young visitors heard ancient stories about Sacsayhuaman, the archaeological site, in the city of Cusco.
Therefore, one of the most enigmatic tales speaks of the Inca chinkanas of the fortress, ancient inca tunnels that lead to unknown and strange lands.
The locals say that anyone who desecrates this underground world will never return alive or sane. In mid-20th-century Cusco, during certain festivals, chosen shamans enter these caves to meet the true descendants of the Incas, who still inhabit the underworld.
These three young men decided to prepare for a journey to enter these “chincanas” or tunnels. They brought ropes, hooks, and flashlights to avoid traps and dangerous falls (of up to 200 meters).
Months passed until, during a mass at the Santo Domingo temple, someone heard noises like sorrowful cries.
What seemed supernatural comes to life: upon dismantling the wall, they find an agonizing old man. They tried to speak with him, but he was out of his mind and died a few days later.
People said that he was one of the young travelers who had left just months before. The fate of the others remains unknown, as does how the survivor ended up in that state.
Also, how he came to possess what he was holding in his hand: a golden corn cob.
The Story Spreads
This story has been passed down through generations, with slight variations in details and characters (some say the explorers were students from Lima, others claim they were North Americans or Spaniards; some accounts say they were lost for 15 days, others say months).
However, the core mystery remains intact. Today, you can find many conspiracy theories involving ancient aliens or dimensional portals that allow time travel.
The fascination continues because the chincana used by these supposed adventurers was permanently sealed.
Moreover, in the past two decades, strange indications have emerged suggesting that something indeed happened there.
The Mystery of the Chinkanas
For example, in the Sacsayhuaman area, you can find two chincanas, both intersecting, and that’s why people call it the “X Zone.”
These chincanas are actually underground caves, just like their Quechua name implies. The first is a small and narrow cave with a short path that remains a tourist attraction.
About 200 meters away lies the “big chinkana,” which has been inaccessible for over a century. Even today, locals still observe it with fear, speaking of the “golden corncob”.
Additionally, the mysteries of the cave that allegedly connect to Qorikancha and even farther beyond. This is where mystical and conspiracy theories thrive.
Some researchers suggest that the Chinkana is just the beginning of an underground network linking important sites worldwide: the Pyramids of Giza, Babylon, or the Amazon rainforest.
In 1940, Harold Wilkins, in his book Mysteries of Ancient South America and the Ancient Secret Cities of South America, described this mysterious network as connecting the entire continent.
Others point to a pathway leading to Q’enqo, where a puma-shaped figure starts at a chakana (Incan cross) located precisely where the chinkana begins
This cross represents the Southern Star, tracing a cosmic journey from the “navel of the world” (Cusco) to the “center of the world” (Egypt) in a millennia-long cycle shaping humanity’s destiny.
Beyond these mystical explanations, there are theories about dimensional portals allowing time travel, encounters with unknown technology, and even beings that seem out of this world.
Historical Evidence and Scientific Explorations
Surprisingly, the myth can be traced in historical records, and even more intriguing, some conclusions can be drawn from a scientific perspective.
Chroniclers such as Guamán Poma de Ayala, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, and Fernando de Montesinos wrote about these legends.
They consistently describe the big chinkana as a secret tunnel with multiple connections across the vast Inca Empire (Tahuantinsuyo).
One passage allegedly ran from Sacsayhuamán to Qorikancha, likely serving to protect sacred relics and treasures.
Important Dates
Some researchers claim that these tunnels extend north to the jungle and Quito, and south through Bolivia and the Atacama Desert in Chile. Historical records document various attempts to explore these tunnels:
1624: Three explorers—Francisco Rueda, Juan Hinojosa, and Antonio Orué—set out to traverse the big chinkana but were never seen again. Their disappearance was deeply ingrained in the city’s memory.
18th century: Two students attempted the journey. of Santo Domingo. After 10 days, someone heard desperate knocking from one of the wooden retablos (interior panels) of the Church of Santo Domingo. Someone found a student tied up with a mangled hand.
He claimed to have reached a trove of gold in the chinkana and brought back a golden corn cob, which people later used to make a crown for the Virgin Mary. He died shortly after, and the full truth was never uncovered.
1923: The first scientific expedition took place. A team of speleologists, in collaboration with the University of San Marcos, conducted measurements in the underground crevices and advanced toward the coast. They lost contact.
Days later, one explorer miraculously reappeared in terrible condition. Consequently, his reports shocked everyone—he spoke of endless labyrinths, terrifying obstacles, and incredible discoveries that were immediately censored.
The survivor chose to remain anonymous. In 1927, after several dangerous expeditions, the city’s Prefect ordered the Peruvian military to seal off the entrance with dynamite.
Discoveries and Unanswered Questions
The matter was considered closed until 1972, when, during an earthquake in Lima, a rescue squad discovered a system of tunnels beneath the city.
Additional analyses showed that the network extended southward into the Andes. Later, no further investigations were conducted.
Then, in the early 1980s, Spanish researcher Anselm Pi Rambla and his team, Bohic Ruz Explorer, conducted archaeological, anthropological, and ecological explorations.
In Santo Domingo, prior Francisco Serrat revealed that the Dominican friars had evidence of the tunnels:
“He took us to the church’s Grand Hall, where we found a small altar placed over a wooden floor. We moved the altar and lifted the carpet underneath, revealing a wooden trapdoor that blended seamlessly with the floor.
Upon opening it, we descended a staircase leading to a colonial-era crypt. To the left was a tunnel entrance, completely sealed with red brick masonry.”
Scientific Confirmation?
This was scientific confirmation that a subterranean network existed, supporting the documented myths. Since 1994, journalist Javier Sierra and prior Benigno Gamarra have gathered additional evidence through the Qorikancha Project, an initiative dedicated to researching these mysteries.
One of the most astonishing accounts came from prior Gamarra himself:
“In 1940, a Dominican friar and the church’s bell-ringer, a poor man who knew the hidden entrance, ventured into the chinkana.
They walked approximately 1.5 kilometers beneath Cusco and reached a chamber beneath the walls of Sacsayhuamán, where part of the Inca treasure was stored.
The friar saw vast amounts of gold and silver, as well as the famous statues of the Inca sovereigns. He instructed the bell-ringer not to touch anything and to keep the secret within the religious community.”
The friar took this secret to his grave a decade later, and it was passed from prior to prior until recent years, when concerns arose that the Ministry of Culture might force the Dominicans out of the site.
More than just a legend?
Peruvian archaeologists Jorge Calero Flores and Mildred Fernández Palomino have found underground tunnels, called chincanas, in Cusco.
They used ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for this discovery. These cavities go 2.5 meters deep and stretch 1,750 meters long, matching what colonial accounts say.
They might have been used as paths or for ceremonies. Historical texts, including those of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, reference such tunnels.
At the beginning, initial sound tests revealed finely carved stone walls showcasing Incan engineering. Excavations will begin in April 2025, potentially redefining Incan urban planning and spirituality.
A significant part that joins Chincana and the golden corn cob is the Coricancha, or Temple of the Sun. Inca Manco Capac built it to worship Inti, the sun god.
Later, the Inca Emperor adorned it in gold, and eventually, Spanish Conquistadors looted it. (Perhaps they took the golden corn cob too)
According to both archaeologists, places such as Cusco’s Plaza de Armas will be instrumental in their investigation.
Astonishingly, so many Cusqueños walk past these sacred places, treating them as dead relics—sacred but lifeless. Even urban myths become part of a distant past, disconnected from us.
The mystery persists
In conclusion, mystery itself is part of our heritage, and we must dare to explore it further rather than allowing our stories to be silenced.
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