Ruins and History in the Sacred Valley

The beautiful Sacred Valley!

We arrived to Cusco at a breath-taking 11,200 feet and quickly crammed into a colectivo to the Sacred Valley. Ollantaytambo, nested in the valley, is a fascinating ancient city that has been continuously inhabited since the 13th century. And it's a little easier to breath since it's at about 9,000 feet.

Hoppel is joining us from Germany for the journey!

A local woman's home and ranch of cuyes (guinea pigs)

On our first day, Victor, a local taxi driver, provided us excellent Spanish practice as he drove us up Moray. Here, large amphitheater like terraces show how the Inca tested different altitudes and micro-climates in order to grow various food items like corn and potatoes. The perfectly cylindrical cones were huge and fascinating. I loved walking around them.

These steps are over 600 years old and still standing the test of time!

Quinoa fields (who knew they were so colorful!) and a VW bug

Next up was Salinas where thousands of salt pans have been harvested since Inca times. The salty water comes from the mountains and is diverted down the side of the mountain, filling up pans as it goes. The water is then diverted to other pans so that the full ones have time to dry. Then the salt is painstakingly scraped up, cleaned and sold/used in food. It was also huge and amazing to think this was all set up over 500 years ago!

We ventured to a lovely lunch spot overlooking these crazy salt pans

And we tried the salty water!  Can you guess Karen's thoughts on it?

We returned in time for Cusqueña (local beer) and coca tea (hopefully our ticket to an altitude - sickness free trip) on the Plaza and watched life in Ollantaytambo roll by.

Unfortunately, Karen woke up with a upset stomach the next day so Mark and I let her rest while we explored the ruins just above town. The spectacular, steep terraces guarding the Inca complex are one of the few places where the Spanish conquistadors lost a major battle. The 9th Inca ruler, Manco Inca threw spears and flooded the plain below so Pizarro had to depart (sadly, he returned within a few years with a much bigger force and Ollantaytambo fell to the Spanish).  The huge stones were quarried from the mountains high above the other side of Rio Urubumba and transported using slippery clay. Still it's an awe-inspiring feat!

The Incas are known for their angled doorways which increase stability

The massive stones were quarried from the rock patch way up in the darkened area on the left.  So far away!

It's also a temple with amazingly constructed temples and ceremonial areas on top. The most notable part of Inca construction is that the stones have been shaved to fit perfectly together and many have tetris-like pieces that ensure their stability.  In fact, all Inca sites have never been greatly damaged in the many earthquakes over the centuries, unlike the more recently constructed buildings.

Standing between the valley and the Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun)

See the sloped rocks under the big one?  That is how they got the rocks upright

The terraces were for growing corn and potatoes

The stones were carved to fit perfectly together.  The holds were used to push them in place

Afterwards, we rode over to the other side of the Sacred Valley to Pisac.  Karen rested and then Mark started feeling not so well so we took it easy.  Thankfully our hotel had an amazing view of the ruins that rose above town so we didn't need to go too far.

Instead of climbing the ruins, we meandered around the market in town.  The colors, smells and people of these communities are so enthralling.

So many cute alpaca animals

The lady was actually willing to sell the cat for 100 soles but we passed. However, she insisted that her dog was not for sale.

This cute little girl wanted up to see the cuyes