Pisac:
Pisac is a district of the province of Calca, located 32 km northeast of Cusco at an altitude of 2,950 m.a.s.l. The name Pisac comes from the Quechua word pisaq or p’isaqa, meaning partridge (a gallinaceous bird very common in this area). Like all the towns of the Cusco region, Pisac is an important archaeological center that combines mystical Inca constructions with the natural wealth of the Urubamba Valley.
The Pisac Archaeological Park is made up of a group of archaeological remains, among which stand out terraces, aqueducts, roads linked to walls and gateways, channeled watercourses, cemeteries and bridges. The complex covers an area of 4 square kilometers, over which the ruins spread across the hillsides in groups of enclosures and temples.
In the town of Pisac, local textiles and handicrafts can be admired at its craft markets.
Ñaupa Iglesia:
Shortly before reaching Ollantaytambo, you pass through the village of Pachar, cross the Urubamba River, walk two kilometers along the railway line and enter a seemingly uninhabited ravine that hides one of the best-kept secrets of the Incas: a cave with a gabled roof that shelters a beautiful huanca (sacred stone) of classic Inca workmanship, and an enigmatic portal carved into the rock that resembles a stone altar. Stone stairways and structures can be seen in the surrounding ravine. This sanctuary should be called “Choqella” (temple of shining gold), although “Choqe Illa” (golden talisman) or “Choqe Killa” (golden moon) would also be accepted. According to Salazar, the axes of the stone altar, “projected at certain times of the year and through nighttime observations, pointed to positions in the sky, above the ridge of the hills, of stars and constellations known to the Incas.” Meanwhile, the movement of the Sun throughout the year marks significant dates in the sacred calendar of Tawantinsuyu, which today coincide with dates such as the Day of the Dead, Carnival, and the sowing and harvest seasons. Ñaupa Iglesia was a very special huaca, because in addition to being a place of worship of the mallquis (mummies) of their ancestors (as shown by the large niche in the stone wall), it must have been a place where major astronomical events linked to rituals on specific dates of the agricultural calendar were announced, as its alignments demonstrate.
Ollantaytambo:
(Quechua: Ollantay tampu) is a town and Inca archaeological site, capital of the district of Ollantaytambo (province of Urubamba), located in southern Peru about 90 km northwest of the city of Cusco. At the time of the Spanish conquest it served as a stronghold of Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance. Ollantaytambo was a strategic military, agricultural and religious center for administering and controlling the Sacred Valley of the Incas, as suggested by the structures believed to have been agricultural storehouses and military works such as walls and watchtowers (probably for protection against the jungle peoples). A stairway of 150 steps separates the summit from the lower part, and the perfectly carved stones, clearly dedicated to the worship of water, closely resemble those of Tipón (in Cusco’s South Valley). This site was a ceremonial center of purification and water worship. The archaeological site consists of a series of stepped terraces, with impressive large blocks of finely carved stone on the upper terrace (Temple of the Sun). The Inca remains at Ollantaytambo are the vestiges of the town that Pachacútec ordered to be built after subduing its inhabitants and conquering these lands. Imposing agricultural infrastructure was created, made up of hundreds of terraces and canals to secure the farmland, along with control and watch posts on the hilltops and domestic and ceremonial buildings. Manyaraqui Square and its fountains are believed to have been part of a center for the worship of water. On Pinkuylluna Hill (Tunupa) stand huge two- and three-story stone buildings believed to have been agricultural storehouses (qolqas) or lookouts, along with an enormous rock that resembles the face of an Inca watching over Ollantaytambo.
The town of Ollantaytambo is known as the “living Inca city” because its inhabitants still live according to the customs and traditions inherited from their ancestors.
From Ollantaytambo it is possible to visit the village of Willoq, where Quechua is spoken and whose red and black garments resemble the huayruro, a red and black seed used as an amulet. Ollantaytambo is the only original Inca town still standing, as is evident in the fifteen blocks that make up the town.
