|
|
| Other sites of interest |
|
|
| |
 Chinchero
This
town 28 km from Cusco
is set amid a
beautiful landscape,
flanked by the
snow-capped Mts.
Chicón and Wequey
Willca, commonly known
as Puma Silla or
Verónica. The main
square lies at the
foot of an Inca wall
containing 10
trapezoidal niches and
is surrounded by
viceregal arches. A
typical Sunday market
is held in the square,
where members of the
outlying communities
come to barter their
products. The church
possesses handsome
canvases belonging to
the Cusco School of
Painting and
safeguards images of
saints dating from
colonial times.
|
|
 Moray
A
few short meters from
the town of Maras, the
archeological zone of
Moray exhibits an
admirable system of
terracings where
enormous terraces are
concentrically
superimposed, forming
something like an
amphitheater. All
told, they are 150 m
in depth with
retaining walls and
are interconnected by
a major irrigation
system.
The circular terraces
can be traced back to
the Inca Empire and
constitute a great
agricultural
laboratory in which
several microclimates
were created based on
the differing
altitudes above sea
level. The Incas took
advantage of them to
experiment with and
improve their crops.
|
| *Photos:
PromPerú |
|
|
|
 |
|
The
area located mainly between the towns of Pisac
and Ollantaytambo, northwest of Cusco, is
known as "The Sacred Valley of the
Incas" and is irrigated by the Vilcanota
River, which later changes its name to the
Urubamba. From pre-Hispanic times, it has been
an appropriate site for the founding of towns.
It was the Incas who took greatest advantage
of the beauty and fertility of this land by
settling on both banks of the river. Urban
centers, palaces, fortresses, temples,
religious centers, sanctuaries and places of
mystical Andean ritual were built of stone at
this site.
|
 |
Access |
 |
|
The
impressive landscape, striking snow-covered
peaks, pleasant climate, fertile lands endowed
by abundant water and megalithic cultural
vestiges, together with the various
possibilities it offers for adventure tourism
make the Sacred Valley of the Incas one of the
most important tourist attractions in the
Andean region. Visitors can reach the site by
road or train from Cusco.
|
|
Tourist Attractions |
|
|
 Pisaq
Every
Thursday and Sunday a handicraft fair is held
in the main square of this typical Andean town
32 km southeast of Cusco. On Sundays, a
Quechua mass is celebrated in the ancient
church, attended by the mayors of the nearby
districts dressed in typical garb and carrying
their staffs of office or varas, from
which they have become known as Varayocs.
A few short kilometers from the town, on a
mountaintop, lies the Pisac Archeological
Park, made up of a number of plazas and
quarters, particularly an enclosure or temple
containing a solar calendar or Intiwatana. The
Inca constructions in Pisac are to be admired
for their perfectly assembled, polished stone
structures. They are surrounded by atalayas,
watchtowers for observation and defense,
as well as a large number of terraces.
|
|
 Urubamba
In the
heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, 78 km
northeast of Cusco, via Pisaq, and 57 km via
Chichero, lies the Urubamba valley. One of the
Inca Empire’s main agricultural centers, it
is noted for its healthy climate, superb
countryside, particularly the Chicón, and
picturesque fields.
Its climate is so outstanding that well-known
naturalist Antonio León de Pinelo in the
eighteenth century claimed it to be the
biblical paradise. During the rainy season, a
number of fruits common to the valley flourish
here. The Urubamba offers different
alternatives for the practice of adventure
tourism: hikes, canoeing, high mountain
cycling and horseback riding.
|
|
 Ollantaytambo
This
archeological zone 90 km northwest of Cusco is
another monumental work of Inca architecture.
Consisting of a military, religious,
administrative and agricultural complex, it
straddles two mountains in a strategically
located site dominating the entire valley.
At the summit of this complex is an impressive
construction that could have been a fortress
or perhaps a solar temple. Its outstanding
features are seven huge monoliths crafted from
red porphyry engraved with mysterious motifs
and assembled with incredible precision.
Legend tells that this fortress once belonged
to a great lord who fell in love with the
Princess Cusi Coillor, daughter of the Inca
Pachacutec, who was opposed to their union.
|
|
|
