One of the most traditional and important circuits over the
last several years includes the towns of Maras, Moray, and
Pichingoto. These towns can be visited separately or as a
single tour.
Maras is a district of the province of Urubamba, located 50
kilometers (80 miles) from Cusco, on the Cusco-Chinchero-Urubamba
route.
Located at 3,300 m.a.s.l., Maras was founded during the
colonial period by Pedro Ortiz de Orue - stripped of their
land and their sacred city of Cusco, by the Spanish,
Cusqueños began to relocate themselves to other small towns
such as San Sebastián and Maras.
Tour Details:
Towards
the northeast are the Maras "Trabajos de Sal" which consist of 3,000
small pools roughly 5 square meters (53.8 ft²) in size. Every three
days, during the dry season, workers fill the pools with salt water
that comes from natural springs at the top of the Maras complex, and
when the water evaporates from the pool the salt is left for
collection. This process is carried out over a one month period
until the pools reach an approximate volume of solid salt that is 10
centimeters (4 inches) in height. The salt is ground up, treated
with iodine, and packaged and sent to the various markets of the
region.
Moray,
due to its climate, growing conditions, and other natural
characteristics, was an important center for domestication,
acclimatization, and hybridization of wild plant species that were
adapted for human consumption - it was in many ways an Incan
experimental-biology station and greenhouse. The structures found
here are of typical Incan architecture, although some authors
suggest the construction is more recent. One of the enigmas of the
complex is the way in which the water-drainage flows through the
aqueducts, and it appears that underground channels must have been
constructed to correctly channel the water.
Approximately 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) to the southwest of Maras is
the archeological site of Moray, which has impressive agricultural
terraces constructed by the Incas.
One of
the most notable points of Moray is the temperature difference
between the top and the bottom of the Moray complex, which can vary
by 15°C (59°F).
