So what is the point of being in Peru if you do not go to see Inca Ruins and especially the mother of all Incan Ruins - Machu Picchu, so that is what we did. On Tuesday we set of on a tour of the Sacred Valley.
Our first stop on the tour was Pisac where we visited some Incan ruins which are know as Inca Pisac. They lie atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. The ruins are separated along the ridge into four groups: Psaga, Intihuatana, Q'allagasa and Kinchiracay.
One of the most famous and interesting thing about the Incans is how they constructed agricultural terraces.These enabled the production of surplus food, more than would normally be possible at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet.
The site in Pisac served a triple purpose as it had military, religious and agriculture structures. Researchers believe that Písac defended the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley, while Choquequirao defended the western entrance, and the fortress at Ollantaytambo the northern. Inca Pisac controlled a route which connected the Inca Empire with the border of the rain forest.
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| The Terraces |
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| Inca Ruins |
Next on the stop was lunch in Urubamba. And then after lunch we made our way to Ollantaytambo. During the Inca Empire Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui leader of the Inca resistance.
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| Ollantaytambo |
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| More Inca Terraces |
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| Fortress |
After seeing these interesting sites, we went to get the Machu Picchu train which took us from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu and is the place all tourists stay before going up to Machu Picchu, and we did the same thing.
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