Joined another one-day tour to Ollantaytambo (for Machu Picchu tomorrow)
The heartland of the last Inca, the Sacred Valley is home to the awe-inspiring fortresses of Sacayhuman and Ollantaytambo. The valley is a delightful place: the climate is pleasant, the people are agreeable, the agricultural terracing is a marvel.
Nice view on the way
First toilet stop, displaying attractive souvenirs. I bought a woolen cap at HK$15
Pisac, a significant Inca ruin. Inhabited since the 10th or 11th century, it became an important regional capital once the Incas arrived.
Agricultural terraces and steep paths lead up to the hilltop fort, which has huge walls of polished stone.
Pisac Ruins comprising military, residential and religious buildings show that the Incas were masters at architecture, especially in different places. Steep terraces and dramatic architecture mark this one-time fortress city, whose many features include ritual baths fed by aqueducts and one of the largest known Inca cemeteries.
The stones making up Pisac's buildings are smaller but the precision with which they are cut in Inca imperial style at the citadel is amazing. Pisac was probably built around 1440 by the Inca Pachacutec to fortify control over the Sacred Valley, possibly to defend it against the aggressive Antis from the Amazon. The site overlooks Inca terracing that provided food to the priests, warriors, and other residents of the fortress town spread out along a ridge.
Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun), an astronomical observatory.
Templo de la Luna (Temple of the Moon) is a ceremonial bathing complex.
Intihuatana, designed to track the sun's movements.
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