Tourist Attractions
City of Urubamba (2871 masl / 9419 fasl)
78 km / 48 miles northwest of Cusco on the route to Pisac (1 hour and 25 minutes by car). Another route is the one via Chinchero (57 km / 35 miles or 45 minutes by car)
It is located in the heart of the SacredValley. Before the Incas, it was a very important agricultural center. Today, the economy is based on farming and tourism, and the city itself is known for being one of the friendliest in the valley. Good tourist services are available in Urubamba.
Village of Chinchero (3772 masl / 12.375 fasl)
28 km / 17 miles northwest of Cusco (45 minutes by car)
A must see is the Colonial church where beautiful paintings of the CuscoSchool are kept. Every Sunday, the farmers and businessmen gather to exchange their products in a fair where they still barter. There are important archeological vestiges in the area.
Village of Maras
48 km / 30 miles northwest of Cusco (1 hour by car)
During the Vice royal period, it was a very important town. This can be seen in the church and mansions that feature the coats of arms of the Indigenous nobility on their fronts. Farming is the main economic activity.
Yucay
68 km / 42 miles north of Cusco (1 hour and 30 minutes by car)
According to the legends, the town was the personal property of Huayna Cápac. In earlier times, it was considered a very important agricultural and hydraulic technology center. Here, you can admire the palace of Inca Manco Sayri Túpac.
Moray Archeological Complex
9 km / 6 miles northwest of Maras (25 minutes by car)
There are four slightly elliptical agricultural terraces, that the people call muyus. The largest structure is 45 meters / 148 feet deep, and the average height of each terrace is 2 meters / 3 feet. Many think that this place was an important agricultural experimentation center for the Incas. Through the use of concentric terraces and because the temperature is different in each of their level, all the ecological tiers found in the confines of the Tahuantinsuyo Empire would have been reproduced in this complex.
Maras Salt-mines
10 km / 6 miles from Maras (30 minutes by car or 2 hours on foot)
Also called Salinas de Maras, these salt-mines have been used since the Tahuantinsuyo. The people channel the salt water that bubbles to the surface from a spring called Qoripujio towards men-made wells. From the exposure to the sun, the water evaporates and the salt remains on the surface to be transported later to the market to be sold. The view of this complex of nearly 3000 wells is spectacular. The local people happily demonstrate the ancient techniques to visitors, even allowing them to participate in them.
Ollantaytambo Archeological Complex
97 km / 60 miles northwest of Cusco (2 hours and 30 minutes by car)
The Incas built it as a fort that included a temple, agricultural terraces, and an urban area. There are two distinct sectors: Araqama Ayllu, the religious and worship zone, and Qosqo Ayllu, the residential area. Ollantaytambo was an important administrative center with probable military functions if one considers the walls and towers. There are also traces of ancient roads and aqueducts. The town of Ollantaytambo is called a LivingIncaTown since the inhabitants maintain very old practices and customs.
From Ollantaytambo, you can visit the village of Willoc, where the Quechua-speaking inhabitants distinguish themselves from the rest of the region by wearing red clothing that identifies them as members of a unique family.
Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary
110 km / 68 miles northwest of Cusco (4 hours by train) to the village of Machu Picchu and then another 8 km / 5 miles to the citadel (20 minutes by bus)
Machu Picchu is an impressive Inca citadel placed on the side of a mountain. Its Quechua name means “Old Mountain”, but it is also known as “the Lost City of the Incas” since it remained hidden from the West until discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
It was built in the fifteenth century, and is attributed to the Inca Pachacutec. The archeological complex is divided into two zones that are contained within approximately twenty hectares. On the sides of the mountain, you can see up to four meters high (13 feet) agricultural terraces. Several plazas and buildings, the most important being the Temple of the Sun, the Intihuatana or solar clock and calendar, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Main Temple and the Condor Sector, make up the urban sector. There is also an impressive monolith of carved stone, three meters high (10 feet) and seven meters wide (23 feet) at the base, named the Sacred Stone. In order to build Machu Picchu, the Incas had to use blocks of stone brought from long distances. The finish of the walls features different quality levels and techniques. One of the highest quality walls is the central one of the MainTemple where the stones fit together perfectly.
The Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary in not only a priceless archeological site, it is also associated with rich animal and plant life. In 1983, UNESCO placed it on the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Lists.