The Sacred Valley of Peru
The first words that generally come to mind when one thinks of Peru are “Machu Picchu”. While it is true that this ancient Inca city carved into the mountains is quite amazing, equally amazing are the seemingly never ending Andean peaks and stunning vistas, housed with life and stretching in all directions. Peaks that encompass indigenous villages, crops built astonishingly steep into the mountainside and the hard working farmers who climb up and down to till and harvest them; hearty women carrying rosy, full cheeked babies or produce and supplies for sale wrapped in blankets and tied around their backs, and scampering children, making games from whatever they may find in their surroundings. These villages would not be complete without countless llamas, alpacas, and sheep grazing on every mountainside, as well as a sense of rich Inca history and pride. It is within the Andes’ peaks that many travelers hike a four day ancient Inca trail, fighting with the altitude for air in their lungs, while simultaneously truly experiencing the journey and earth of these spectacular mountains. These are just some of the reasons travelers fall in love with Peru.
Sitting at an intense altitude of 3400m, Cusco was an ancient Inca city. Historically, Incan life revolved around Cusco as its main city of the region. Similarly, modern day Cusco is a mountain metropolis, fueled by tourism. Cusco is a mix of authentic Peruvian and touristy Peruvian culture; if you search hard enough, it is possible to experience the authentic kind, especially the further you travel and sleep from town.
Cusco town enjoys its fair share of young budget backpackers, excited to hike the Inca Trail, live in a family home stay, or enroll in Spanish courses, as well as the pre-packaged tourist, looking for a bit more luxury and for someone else to plan their outings. In order to cater to them all, Cusco’s urban center offers trendy restaurants, Andean craft stores, Internet cafes, and no shortage of discos. Meanwhile, the remnants of Inca and Spanish culture coincide harmoniously; majestic colonial churches stand beside indigenous artisan studios, and rainbow colored flags of the Inca Empire fly over the rooftops along modern plazas (Komatireddy, 215). Cusco is vibrant and ever-changing. People sit in numerous plazas, watching time pass, as well as enjoying the mountain views that surround them; narrow, winding streets heading off into the distance entice travelers to explore.
Exploring the serene Sacred Valley allows visitors to observe a lifestyle that the hustle and bustle of tourism still hasn’t distorted (for the most part). The Sacred Valley is a hiker’s haven, the ultimate cultural immersion, and the ultimate archeological dig. Remarkably intact ruins dot a landscape divided by a rambunctious river, lined with small-town markets that host disproportionately large festivals, and surrounded by towering peaks concealing hidden trails. (Excerpt from Let’s Go Peru 2005)
The term “Sacred Valley” refers to the area around the Rio Urubamba, which flows northeast from Cusco. With its rolling maize-resplendent hills, the Urubamba Valley was the breadbasket of Imperial Cusco, particularly after Inca engineers solved the the region’s landslide problem by constructing agricultural terraces. These steps, a few meters in width and height, were sculpted from the earth and retained by stone walls; thousands still exist. Another remarkable Inca achievement was the redirection of the river Urubamba, resulting in the longest pre-Columbian canal in the Americas. The fortresses at Pisac and Ollantaytambo and the sprawling city of Machu Picchu are three of the architectural masterpieces that lie within this valley. (Excerpt from Let’s Go Peru 2005)
Tourists and locals alike love Cusco and its surroundings. It is a region of a thriving blend of cultures, architecture, landscape, Quechua and Spanish language, curiosity, wonderment and adventure all nestled together deep within the towering Andes.
-Article written by Juliette Wertz
-Photos taken by Shawn Rafferty (top to bottom; Machu Picchu, Cusco City, Andean woman near Cusco,
Sacred Valley)
Works Cited
Komatireddy, Saritha. Let’s Go Peru, 1st Ed. St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2005.
Source: http://seattlecolleges.edu/globalimpact/documents/peru/Peru-SacredValley.doc
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