After the colorful but cold heights of Palcoyo we wanted to see more of the Inca Empire. We got up for another tour to the Sacred Valley, or “Valle Sagrado”. Yes, we did a lot of tours on our last days in Peru! 😅
The Sacred Valley is a region in the Andean highlands of Peru. Together with Cusco and Machu Picchu, it formed the heart of the Inca Empire. To the Incas the Sacred Valley even was viewed to have territorial connection to the Milky Way. The area stretches about 60 kilometers with fertile farmlands and colonial villages like Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Because of its rich soil the valley was used for agriculture even long before the Inca arrived and is still in use until today!🌽🥔🌾
Pisac
After a short stop at a viewpoint over the valley, Pisac was our first destination. It is known for its hilltop Incan citadels. Walking around these ruins showed us once again how impressive the Incan architecture was.
You can also find one of the largest Inca cemeteries at the hillside of the ruins. The graves were made by carving holes into the mountain. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to climb up all the ruins in the area. But nonetheless Pisac got us excited what the other Inca Sides would be like!
Ollantaytambo
The second stop for the day was the village of Ollantaytambo. Here you can find the ruins of a massive Inca fortress on a hillside with large stone terraces. Again we were amazed by the complexity of the whole architecture! It kept us wondering how it was possible for them to build something that complicated with such precision!
Within the complex there was a huge Sun Temple. Thanks to its position on top of the hill, it was one of the buildings which was almost always illuminated by the sun. The area even had its own watering system with fountains and a Water Temple. Luckily we had some more time left at that side.
After these impressions of the Inca Empire it was time for us to wait for our train to Aguas Calientes…getting closer to our final destination and the Inca masterpiece…Machu Picchu!
