Sacred Valley, Peru --- January 21 - 23, 2012

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The Sacred Valley stretches north from Cusco for about 180 km and lies at a lower altitude making for a milder climate. The valley has a bit of everything snow covered peaks, Inca terrace everywhere, visible Inca trails, flat plains for grazing sheep, rolling landscapes, raging rivers, and good hotels in places you would never find without a guide.

We stopped at Ollantaytambo, an Inca community. The skill of the Inca's with their stone work is amazing in how all the stones for the ancient houses, which continue to be occupied and the narrow streets with chanels built for the water to run down the hills demonstrates how skilled the ancien craftmens were. One house that we visited had a bit of everything running around ranging from ducks to ginne pigs running around. Ginne pigs are considered delicacy in Peru. When cooked they look like they have been dropped in a hot pot of oil and are just minus the hair. Needless to say we were not about to try this delicacy. Another stop was the Maras "salt mines" dating back to Inca times and still in production. There are about 3000 small pools with an average area of about 53 feet, constructed on the slope of a mountain. We were there in the rainy season so no one was around, but in the dry season people fill up the pools every 3 days with slty water emanating from a natural spring located at the top of the complex so that when the water evaporates the salt contined in it will solidify. The road down to the "salt mines" is a bit of an adventure, one in which you would nver want to meet aa vehicle coming the opposite direction, particularly if you car is on the outside overlooking the valley.

For local colour stop at Chinncheros, on Sunday and Thursdays the local residents gather in the main square to barter food stiffs and things they have made.

A large percentage of the Inca people continue to speak their native language (54% of the people in Peru are Indian, 32% mixed Spanish and Indian decent, 12% Spanish) "Quecha". The native women average about 5 fett or less and the men a couple of inches more. The dress of the women is black stockings, a dress to just below the knees with crinlolines, a jackey like a man's suit jacket, a hat similar to what men wore on North America in the 40's and 50's and 2 long pigtails. If a women has a white stove type hat she is of mixed blood. Any taller is Spanish.

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Photos

Ollantaytambo
Water was rushing down the channel in the middle of the street

Ollantaytambo
Ginnes being raised

Sacred Valley
There are differnt kinds of lamas some are domesticated and others not. This is a picture of one of the kind that has not been domesticated

Sacred Valley
We climbed up this series of terraces.

Sacred Valley
An example of how the Inca's terraces

Sacred Valley
steps to climb from one terrace to the next

Sacred Valley
Wherever there were a series of terraces the Inca's built graneries to hold the produce

Sacred Valley
Sheep and donkeys were being taken to new pastures

Sacred Valley
A grannery on the side of a mountain