Cusco - a beautiful town tucked in the heart of the Andes mountains - provided a high-altitude base for our weeklong excursion in Peru. From there we headed up to Machu Picchu - a destination that has loomed large on our personal travel list for years.
No matter how many pictures you have seen of Machu Picchu, your first views of the site are still awe-inspring and surprising. It does not disappoint.
From there we worked our back to Cusco via the Sacred Valley. We spent a night in each of the major towns in the valley - Ollantayambo, Urubamba and Pisac - before arriving back in Cusco. Ollantaytambo - with its cobbled streets and stone architecture - was probably our favorite. But the sites outside of Urubamba (Moray and Salinas) are not to be missed and the market in Pisac is one of the largest and most colorful that we have seen.
Date(s): July 2005. Album by David Kohl. Photos by David Kohl & Ross Rosenberg. 1 - 41 of 41 Total. 3902 Visits.
Cusco, Plaza de Armas A view of the collanaded porticos along the Plaza de Armas - the main square - in Cusco.
Cathedral - Plaza de Armas The first Christian church built in Peru. It was built over the ruins of an Incan palace. The original church was built in 1539; the more recent church - seen here - was a baroque church built in 1733.
Last Supper - Peruvian style This is a postcard of a painting of the Last Supper in the collection of the Cathedral. Notice that the central platter contains a guinea pig - a Peruvian delicacy. Corn is also visible on the platter to the left.
View of Cusco from Room 11 - Pension Alemana A view across the multitude of red tile roofs visible from our hotel in the Barrio de San Blas in Cusco. There are numerous narrow, cobble-stoned streets - invisible in this photo - running throughout the San Blas section of Cusco.
View of Cusco from Sacsayhuaman This view was taken from the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, perched above the city of Cusco. Cusco, sited at 11,000 feet above sea level, can leave vistors breathless during their first few days.
Sacsayhuaman These Incan ruins are within walking distance from the center of Cusco. These ruins cover about one-quarter of the original complex. It was probably originally a religious temple but was also later used as a military fortress.
Stones of Sacsayhuaman Many of the base stones used at Sacsahuaman are unimaginably massive; some are 12-feet tall and could weigh up to 300 tons. The stones, like all Inca construction, fit together without mortar.
View of the road to Machu Picchu This is a view taken from near the top of Huayna Picchu. The Urubamaba River, which snakes around Machu Picchu, can be seen in the lower left. The road - with numerous hairpins turns - is the only paved road into Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu at 7:00 am View of Machu Picchu through the early morning fog.
Machu Picchu view During the morning hours, the fog retreats and then returns a few minutes later. We wait as more of the ruins are revealed.
Machu Picchu (Later) The view becomes almost hypnotic as the clouds thread in and out of the valley.
Ross & Julie We met a fellow American from Connecticut who was also entranced by the early morning views. It was her second day at Machu Picchu. One day was not enough.
Proof we were there No backdrop. We were there. Photographic proof.
Terraces of Machu Picchu Was Machu Picchu a citadel? A retreat? An agricultural site? No one knows for sure.
The llamas of Machu Picchu As seen here, llamas freely roam throughout the site.
More stones Machu Picchu - at a height of 8,000 feet above sea level - is actually lower than Cusco. It was built in the mid-15th century but remained hidden from the world for centuries. It was never discovered by the Spanish conquistadors.
Expert stone masons No mortar, no metal supports. The Inca were expert stone masons.
Stairway down from Huayna Picchu Huayna Picchu, the tallest mountain outcrop behind Machu Picchu, took about an hour to climb. It was a challenging, steep path. But it was even more difficult going down.
View of Machu Picchu This view of Machu Picchu was taken from the top of Huayna Picchu. The mountain is surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides that plunge down to the Urubamba River.
Aguas Calientes The town of Aguas Calientes - the town closest to Machu Picchu - is named after its natural hot springs. Each pool differs in temperature.
Ollantaytambo The Urubamba Valley - also known as the Sacred Valley - is home to several ancient Incan towns.
Ollantaytambo ruins A view of the ancient terrace ruins of Ollantaytambo.
Stones of Ollantaytambo Again the Inca mastery of stone construction was evident throughout the ruins of Ollantaytambo.
Double-jambed doorway Traditional stone doorway leading into a residential courtyard in Ollantaytambo.
Chicha for sale The red flower-like flag hung from this stone house in Ollantaytambo is used to indicate that home-brewed chicha is for sale. Chicha is a beer made of fermented corn - corn that has been fermented with human saliva.
Yarn spinner A woman in the main square of Ollantaytambo spinning yarn.
Mother & child Mother, also a weaver, and her daughter photographed in a courtyard in Ollantaytambo.
Mother and daughter Another pose. But this time the mother's weaving is in view.
Weaver Weaver in a courtyard in Ollantaytambo.
Roof of Hostal Las Orquideas in Ollantaytambo Many roofs in Andean Peru were adorned with two miniature clay bulls.
Bull close-ups The bulls are viewed as "good luck" symbols.
Fields above Urubamba View of a farmer threshing wheat the old-fashioned way - with donkeys - in a field above the town of Urubamba. In Urubamba we stayed at the delightful Quinta Patawasi.
Moray The Inca used this site as a gigantic crop laboratory.
More Moray The subtle gradations in height and shade were used to determine which crops would grow best in which climate. Moray is also located in the mountains above the town of Urubamba.
Mountain traffic We wait while we let the animal traffic pass on a dirt road in the altiplano (the high plains of the Andes) outside of Urubamaba.
Altiplano view A view of the mountain town of Maras in the Urubamba valley.
Salinas de Maras A spring of warm salty water was diverted by the Inca into hundreds of individual pools at the Salinas (salt mines) de Maras. Sunlight evaporates the water and leaves a thin crust of salt which is then harvested.
Salinas close-up The ownership of specific pools has passed down through families since ancient Inca days.
View of the valley from the Pisac ruins Pisac, home to the largest fortress built by the Inca, commands stunning views of the Urubamba valley.
Girls of Pisac Local girls - with a lamb - in native dress photographed at the Sunday Pisac market. The market is one of the largest and livliest in Peru.
Outside the church in Pisac Dignitaries from nearby villages -dressed in their native finery - usually lead the procession after Mass. The boy - in the front right - holds a conch shell which he sounds to announce their presence.
