A little backtracking to the Sacred Valley area
After we left the Sacred Valley, we visited Moray and Salineras on our way back to Cusco. The next day, we were off to the jungles for 2 weeks, and I forgot to tell about the sites and share pictures.
Moray is an Inca site where they took advantage of natural depressions in the ground, to build concentric terraces to create different growing areas. It was thought to be an agricultural laboratory. It is 500 feet deep, and created a difference of 60 degrees F from bottom to top!!
The largest "bowl"
Steps to each level, and the single waterway on each terrace
Steve, for scale
A green agave (used only for horse and cattle feed - in contrast to blue agave in Mexico, for tequila!)
Between the two sites, we ran into a traffic jam:
The "famous" Inca terraced salt pans at Salineras are still in use today, over 500 years later. In fact, the salt on our table at a restaurant here in the north was from there.
The warm mineral water comes out of the hillside:
and is directed through channels into pools, where the water evaporates (over about a week)
and the salt is collected:
To close, Steve wanted to share this picture from the town in the Sacred Valley, that proclaims itself, "the guinea pig capital of the world". Cuy is the Spanish word for guinea pig, and it is often served roasted. As in the US, drive thru is available:
