Photo Sets » Cuzco and the Sacred Valley - 2003
View Slideshow
Our first trip in the Cuzco area is the morning after we arrive. We head straight to the impressively massive ruins of Sacsaywaman before the gaggles of tourists pop up. We then head to the Sacred Valley to the ruins of Pisac, an Inca town perched high above the Urubamba River with incredible views of everything. We hike down from the ruins to the market town of Pisac (the same name as the ruins). After a picture of the worst toilet I've seen in a while, pictures of the charming Inca water fountains of Tambomachay can be found. We finish the day in Sacsaywaman and hike back down to Cuzco. The next morning we begin again and head to the villages of Moray and Maras. On the way we see snow-capped mountains as we travel through beautiful fields of corn and quinoa, a highly nutritious cereal grain. The Inca used Moray as an agricultural test site, as the temperatures of the different concentric levels of the depression in the land varied by as much as 15 degrees celsius from top to bottom. We hike down from the town of Maras to "Las Salinas", an amazing arrangement of terraced ponds from which the Incas used to mine salt. The small terraces are still in use, and the miniature aquaduct system is amazing. We finish the day by meeting our guide after our hike at the Urubamba River. We continue back the long way via small towns in the Sacred Valley and come across the floral murals on the pavement of the plaza of Calca. It is Good Friday and we are delightfully surprised that we have stumbled upon these festive works of art. This night we return to Cuzco and watch some religious processions. The following day we visit the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, a church that the Spainards built directly on top of the Inca Temples of the Sun and Moon.
Our first trip in the Cuzco area is the morning after we arrive. We head straight to the impressively massive ruins of Sacsaywaman before the gaggles of tourists pop up. We then head to the Sacred Valley to the ruins of Pisac, an Inca town perched high above the Urubamba River with incredible views of everything. We hike down from the ruins to the market town of Pisac (the same name as the ruins). After a picture of the worst toilet I've seen in a while, pictures of the charming Inca water fountains of Tambomachay can be found. We finish the day in Sacsaywaman and hike back down to Cuzco. The next morning we begin again and head to the villages of Moray and Maras. On the way we see snow-capped mountains as we travel through beautiful fields of corn and quinoa, a highly nutritious cereal grain. The Inca used Moray as an agricultural test site, as the temperatures of the different concentric levels of the depression in the land varied by as much as 15 degrees celsius from top to bottom. We hike down from the town of Maras to "Las Salinas", an amazing arrangement of terraced ponds from which the Incas used to mine salt. The small terraces are still in use, and the miniature aquaduct system is amazing. We finish the day by meeting our guide after our hike at the Urubamba River. We continue back the long way via small towns in the Sacred Valley and come across the floral murals on the pavement of the plaza of Calca. It is Good Friday and we are delightfully surprised that we have stumbled upon these festive works of art. This night we return to Cuzco and watch some religious processions. The following day we visit the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, a church that the Spainards built directly on top of the Inca Temples of the Sun and Moon.
