(I apologize for the lapse between posts. My intention is to post weekly, but holidays and a few other matters interfered with the best-laid plans.)
After leaving Cusco, the animal sanctuary was our first stop in the 'Sacred Valley of the Incas’, a seventy-mile stretch of land along the Urubamba River, from Cusco to Machu Picchu. The Inca believed that the valley was the earthly parallel of the milky band of light they saw in the night sky-- our galaxy, the Milky Way.
After leaving Cusco, the animal sanctuary was our first stop in the 'Sacred Valley of the Incas’, a seventy-mile stretch of land along the Urubamba River, from Cusco to Machu Picchu. The Inca believed that the valley was the earthly parallel of the milky band of light they saw in the night sky-- our galaxy, the Milky Way.
Land in the Sacred Valley is very fertile. This is often true along rivers: during high-water season, the river waters flood the area leaving rich deposits behind. The farmland along the Urubamba River was a vital source of produce for the Inca Empire in the fifteenth century.
The Emperor Pachacutec was chiefly responsible for developing most of the Inca empire including this valley. This rich land belonged, not to the farmers, but to the Emperor. (For more information about Pachacutec’s reign and accomplishments in the mid-1400s, check https://lnkd.in/eib4ZCh.)
The Emperor Pachacutec was chiefly responsible for developing most of the Inca empire including this valley. This rich land belonged, not to the farmers, but to the Emperor. (For more information about Pachacutec’s reign and accomplishments in the mid-1400s, check https://lnkd.in/eib4ZCh.)
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| The fertile farmland of Pisac in the Sacred Valley |
In Pisac, we visit the marketplace where Quechua Indians come to sell their handicrafts. Pisac’s market is especially busy on alternate days, beginning with Sunday. This is not a busy day.
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| Pisac market at the foot of the terraced mountain |
What strikes me more than the market is, once again, the terraced mountainside leading to it. Inca engineering continues to amaze me.
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| Terraced mountainside leading to Pisac |
We stop for lunch and then head for Ollantaytambo, about 40 miles from Cusco, roughly 9,000 feet above sea level.
This area was also the last Inca battleground to fall to the Spanish. After the Spanish defeated Manco Inca Yupanqui, and his forces at the fortress Sacsayhuaman, he retreated to Ollantaytambo in 1536. It took a second round of Spanish soldiers to drive him from Ollantaytambo and ultimately defeat him in 1537.
Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of the Emperor Pachacutec in the 15th century. He was responsible for the terraced mountainsides and construction that marked so much of the empire under his rule.
This area was also the last Inca battleground to fall to the Spanish. After the Spanish defeated Manco Inca Yupanqui, and his forces at the fortress Sacsayhuaman, he retreated to Ollantaytambo in 1536. It took a second round of Spanish soldiers to drive him from Ollantaytambo and ultimately defeat him in 1537.
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Next: Ollantaytambo
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