Pucará

Pucará (often written with an accent on the final a) is a toponym and cultural name used for several places and things in the Andean region of South America. The term derives from the Quechua pukara, meaning fortress or fortified place, a word commonly applied to hilltop ruins and settlements.

In Peru, Pucará is a town that serves as the capital of Pucará Province in the Puno Region. The province lies in the southern highlands and its economy centers on agriculture and mining. The name is associated with various archaeological sites in the area, as well as the broader historical use of the term in Andean toponymy.

The Pucará culture refers to a pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the central and southern highlands of Peru roughly between 200 BCE and AD 600. It is best known for its distinctive polychrome pottery and hillside settlements. The culture’s name is derived from the same Quechua root meaning fortress, reflecting the regional association with fortified sites.

The IA 58 Pucará is an Argentine twin-engine light attack aircraft developed by Fábrica Militar de Aviones. First flown in the late 1960s, it entered service in the 1970s and was employed in counter-insurgency and close air support roles, principally within the Argentine Air Force. The aircraft’s designation Pucará echoes the same fortress-derived name used in the region.