Khonkho Wankane is located on a modified alluvial formation of the Desaguadero Valley beneath the foothills of the Kimsachata-Chilla mountain range, some 25 km directly south of Tiwanaku (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Khonkho's location in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin

The site occupies a portion of the Machaca pampa between the foothills of the range and the Rio Grande (Jach'a Jawira), a tributary of the Rio Desaguadero, to the south. It consists of two mounds surrounded by several smaller knolls (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Landscape view of Khonkho showing the site
hugged by two streams and surrounded by a marsh.

The primary Wankane mound consists of a platform that was artificially raised over a natural hillock.

On the surface of the platform the large foundation stones for several architectural enclosures can be discerned, punctuated by three eroded earth platforms that surround an extensive plaza.