The direct road from Cusco at 11,000+ feet to Pisac at about 9,000 feet goes up before it goes down. To get a better feel for the change in topography, check out the terrain version of this map. My first view of the Sacred Valley was from the viewpoint above Taray.
The Urubamba River, which from its start near Puno was called the Vilcanota by the Inca, has carved a wide, fertile valley from this point to Ollantaytambo, giving rise to the alternative name for this stretch–the Wilcamayu or Sacred River. Sheltered by the mountains on both sides, the valley’s temperate climate is ideal for the growing of maize, beans and barley. The valley is a checkerboard of mostly small farms which continue to be worked with oxen and foot plows.
The return route via Urubamba and Chinchero includes a long stretch on a high plateau,
with stunning views of moutain peaks
and hillsides filled with ruins of Incan granaries.
Just a short drive from the road near Urubamba are the remnants of what I call the Incan Agricultural Research Center as its purpose was similar to that of the USDA’s Beltsville facility.
Incan agronomists used the 30-degree (F) temperature differential between the top and bottom of the 90-foot deep natural depressions at Moray to hybridize seeds–to improve plant productivity and increase zone hardiness. For example, the coca plant, which was native to the lower altitudes of the Amazon basin, was acclimatized to grow near Cuzco.
Nearby at Maras there are extensive salt mines. When I saw this stop on my itinerary, I was initially very surprised. You see, I grew up in the Finger Lakes region, where most of this country’s salt is mined–underground, and there are NO tours. (See Salt Mines and Brine Wells in the Finger Lakes for a history of salt mining in the US.)
Then I remembered that I had taken a tour at least 30 years ago of what might be called the world’s oldest salt mine at Hallein, Austria. After approximately 6,000 years, mining ceased in the mid-1990s when the underground mine was no longer profitable.
Surprise! The Maras salt mine is on top of the ground. More than 200 families from two villages work one or more of these small pools which are filled from one small trickle of water that is channeled as it exits the mountainside. To get the best quality salt, someone must came and walk the pools regularly as the water evaporates. Talk abut labor intensive! Compare this method with the ones now used in the Finger Lakes.
Salt-cicles? Stalactites?