04.08.2015.
Valle Sagrado (Saint Valley)
Pisaq
It was the famous centre of the Inca jewellery-making. Its stronghold used to guard the graveyards of the Inca mummies of the ruling class. They are more than 1000 graves here, this was the continent's biggest in that time. However, where mummies are, there are buried its jewels with them, that's why these graves were robbed very soon after the fall of the empire. Most of the mummies were burnt or destroyed.

Quillabamba
The most import building of the complex was the Sun Temple, built in the 15th century, as most of the Inca monumental cities and strongholds. The terraces here were built mostly against the erosion of the mountains, and not for agricultural use. The wall of the Sun Temple are made of stones 20-40 tons, which are matching perfectly, this style of construction is called "imperial". As protection against earthquakes the Incas put smaller stone-lines between the bigger stones, so during an earthquake the smaller stones were smashed not the big ones, so they could repair it faster and easier. Into the mountain opposite of the Temple they carved the face of the God of Mountains, and a face of an Inca warrior, who's nose was made so, that on 21st of June the morning rays of the sun was shining directly on the temple.

Chinchero
It was not an important Inca city. It became important after the Spanish colonisation, because it was a reservation for the rest of the Inca tribes, and the Spanish soldiers were forbidden to interfere or mix with the locals. These made a special protection for the Inca bloodline for centuries, which began to diminish only in the 20th century. However they still preserve the old customs, manufacturing techniques and language.

This night's dinner was exotic and delicious, much more than the roasted "cuy"... I tried in the Marcelo Batata restaurant the steak of alpaca, which is a type of wild lama of the mountains.