cusco & sacred valley attractions - free download

The Luxury Peru Travel Company Specialists in First Class & Luxury Peru Travel www.luxuryperu.travel

The Luxury Peru Travel Company Calle Garcilaso 265, Cusco, Peru Toll Free: 1800 298 3158 Contact Us: [email protected]

Cusco and Sacred Valley Attractions Our Favorite attractions in and around Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Inca

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Contents

Cusco City Tour Attractions ................................................................................ 5

Tambomachay ................................................................................................ 5

Puca Pucara .................................................................................................... 5

Qenko ............................................................................................................. 6

Sacsayhuamán ................................................................................................ 6

Cusco Cathedral .............................................................................................. 7

Coricancha ...................................................................................................... 8

Add a Day in Cusco City ...................................................................................... 9

Inka Museum .................................................................................................. 9

Pre-Columbian Art Museum ......................................................................... 10

Santa Catalina Convent and Art Museum ..................................................... 11

La Casa Concha Museum of Machu Picchu. .................................................. 11

Entertaining and Educational Evening Events .................................................. 13

Evening Inca Cosmology & Astronomy .......................................................... 13

Evening Pisco Museum (7pm – 9 pm) ........................................................... 14

Sacred Valley of the Inca Highlights ................................................................. 15

Pisac Market ................................................................................................. 15

Pisac Inca Ruins ............................................................................................. 16

Ollantaytambo .............................................................................................. 17

Chinchero ..................................................................................................... 17





On the Road between Pisac & Cusco: .............................................................. 18

Awankancha Living Museum......................................................................... 18

Animal Rescue Center ................................................................................... 18

Sacred Valley Lunch Options ............................................................................ 19

Lunch at Wayra Ranch with Paso Horse Show .............................................. 19

Posada Tunupa Lunch ................................................................................... 19

Moray, Maras & Salt mines .............................................................................. 20

Moray ........................................................................................................... 20

Maras / Salineras ( Salt mines ) ..................................................................... 21

About Us – The Luxury Peru Travel Company .................................................. 22





Introduction

Cusco is a fascinating city that was the capital of the once mighty Inca Empire and now a Unesco World Heritage Site and is one of Peru's most visited cities as it is the largest and most comfortable city from which tourists can begin visits to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and other Inca sites in the region. Each year it draws a million visitors to its cobbled streets, lured by the city’s unique combination of colonial and religious splendors built on the hefty stone foundations of the Incas. Cusco is a beautiful city with well preserved colonial architecture, evidence of a rich and complex history. The city itself represents the center of indigenous Quechua culture in the Andes, and by merely walking the streets one sees the layers of history. Spanish colonial buildings erected directly atop Inca walls line the square, while the modern tourist nightlife flourishes in their midst. The fortress `Sacsayhuamán´ in Cusco was the site of the 1536 battle in which dozens of Pizarro's men charged uphill to battle the forces of the Inca. Nowadays, Cusco is known for its indigenous population--often seen on the streets in traditional clothing – and its substantial tourist-fueled night life. With all this rich living culture and history, a second day of exploration in the Imperial city of Cusco might not be such a bad idea.





Cusco City Tour Attractions

Tambomachay This was an Inca sanctuary dedicated to the cult of water, a place reserved for Inca Royalty consisting of a group of walls that are united by stairs, there are springs that cascade to a pool through several channels. The waterfalls in these ruins form part of a terrace to the second wall where the drainage cascades to the first and forms a small pool. The window sills, holes or niches are 2m height, and was the place, according to the historians, that the Inca and important people of his court offered water rights to the Sun God, Inti. Puca Pucara (Quechua for red fortress). This is an Inca archaeological site located again on the peak of a hill and is thought to be a military position and an administrative centre. Due to its proximity to Tambomachay, it is believed to have had a relationship with its defense, as well as the control of the route to Calca.





Qenko A sanctuary dedicated to the adoration of animals which consists of ruins formed by a rocky site with stairs in a zigzag, and a main building similar to a circular amphitheatre where 19 window sills are located as a way of seats. It is presumed that this place was a site of adoration, and supporting this presumption is the presence of an enormous stone block of 5.9m height that resembles the appearance of a puma. There is a labyrinthine entrance towards several underground galleries, passages, channels and stairs with signs of an earlier culture. These reveal themselves in a series of drawings and engravings including outstanding figures of pumas. Sacsayhuamán We then visit one of the most important Inca sites in South America the enormous Fortress of Sacsayhuamán. Its Quechua name means "satisfied falcon", for it was the falcon that guarded the capital of the empire. If, Cusco was designed in the shape of a lying puma, Sacsayhuamán would be its head, and Coricancha (or Sun Temple) would correspond to the feline's genitalia.





Its construction took over seven decades and required the work of 20,000 men approximately, both for the foundations and hewn stone works, the transportation of materials, carving and stones setting. Hewn stones could have been located at Muina, Huacoto and Rumicolca, 20 kilometers away from Cusco, and at closer places such as Sallu, Rumi, Chita, Curovilca and Viracocha. Cusco Cathedral which is one of the finest Colonial Cathedrals in the Americas. Building started in 1560 and was declared completed in 1664. The design is constituted by a Latin - Cross base, the facade has a Renaissance style, very ornamental, and it contains the best manifestations of colonial goldsmith and wood carving, as well as a valuable collection of canvases from the Escuela Cusqueña (Academy of Cusco). There are two auxiliary chapels on its both sides: Capilla del Triunfo and Jesus, Maria y Jose





Coricancha (from the Quechua word Quri Qancha meaning 'Golden Courtyard'), originally named Inti Qancha (' Temple of the Sun') was it the most important temple in the Inca Empire, dedicated primarily to Inti, the Sun God. It was one of the most revered and respected temples of the city of Cusco, Peru. The walls and floors were once covered in sheets of solid gold, and the courtyard was filled with golden statues. Spanish reports tell of its opulence that was 'fabulous beyond belief'. The Church of Santo Domingo was built on the site, using the ruined foundations of the temple that was flattened by the Spanish in the 17th century, and is a fine example of where Inca stonework has been incorporated into the structure of a colonial building. Major earthquakes have severely damaged the church, but the Inca stone walls, built out of huge, tightly-interlocking blocks of stone, still stand thanks to the sophisticated stone masonry. Nearby is an underground archaeological site museum containing a number of interesting pieces, including mummies, textiles and sacred idols.





Add a Day in Cusco City So many people arrive to Cusco and take a short afternoon Tour before heading off to the Sacred Valley of the Inca and onto Machu Picchu, not allowing enough time to experience the mixture of Cusco’s living history with a touch of modern culture. It is one of the most visited destinations in South America for many reasons apart from the obvious. We recommend that you take your time and spend an extra day or two in the charming Inca Capital whether it’s for the history, the fabulous restaurants, cocktails and nightlife, or to acclimatize to the elevation before starting your other adventures. Listed below are some other, off the beaten path, attractions worth visiting. Inka Museum Boasting an eclectic assortment of Incan artifacts and a distinctive location in a beautiful 16th-century colonial mansion, the Inca Museum delights its visitors. The Inca rooms included textiles, pottery, silver figurines, musical instruments, and even mummies. They also had some nice dioramas of daily life, [and] a model of a circular terrace (moray). When you've finished admiring the traditional items inside, you should stroll through the museum's courtyard, where Andean women can often be found weaving authentic textiles.





Pre-Columbian Art Museum The PRE-COLUMBIAN ART MUSEUM was an Inca ceremonial court around 1450 A.D. In 1580 became into the MANSION of the conqueror Alonso Díaz and in 1850 of the Earl of Cabrera. It was restored to be the PRE-COLUMBIAN ART MUSEUM in June 2003. This extraordinary Cusco historic monument holds the only museum in Perú dedicated to the arts of ancient Peruvian cultures. The collection of 450 master pieces date from 1250 B.C to.1532 A.D. They were selected among 45,000 objects located at the storages of the Larco Museum in Lima, by curators Fernando of Szyszlo, famous painter, and Cecilia Bákula, prestigious Art Historian.





Santa Catalina Convent and Art Museum The Monasterio y Museo de Arte de Santa Catalina (Santa Catalina Convent and Art Museum) was opened in 1610, founded by Lucia Isabel Rivera de Padilla. It is still an active Dominican convent. It was built on the Inca ruins of Acllawasi, where chosen Inca women would dedicate their life to teaching, weaving Inca ceremonial robes and sun worship. Today the Monastery houses a religious art collection, including paintings from the famous Escuela Cusqueña. The Monasterio y Museo de Arte de Santa Catalina has an impressive interior, with high painted arches, and a beautiful capitulary room. Just yards from here we visit: La Casa Concha Museum of Machu Picchu. In 1912, the American explorer Hiram Bingham, accompanied by his team of volunteer archaeologists excavated the ancient Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. They recovered over 4,000 artifacts, which they carefully itemized and logged before shipping them back to Yale University in the USA. In recent years, the Peruvian government launched a high profile campaign to have all of these items returned to Peru, claiming that artifacts from Machu Picchu are in fact the property of Peru, and not that of Yale University. After several years of negotiation, culminating in Peru’s President Alan Garcia writing a personal letter to the US President Barrack Obama, an agreement was finally made to return the artifacts to Peru. La Casa Concha Museum, situated just a few blocks from Cusco’s main square is now the new showcase for these items, and the incredible history of Machu Picchu.





Covering two floors, and set in a colonial Spanish mansion, La Casa Concha Museum currently offers 10 individually themed exhibition rooms. Visitors to La Casa Concha Museum are treated to a good selection of educational and interesting exhibits, but there are some highlights of the museum which stand out above the rest. On the lower level just past the entrance, there is a large scaled model of Machu Picchu, which allows visitors the ability to get a much greater understanding of the layout of the sanctuary. It wasn’t obvious at first, but model is actually accompanied by an informative video narration from Professor Richard L. Burger of Yale University. Overhead lights illuminate the model section by section working in tandem with the video narration, and offering a more in-depth overview of what you are looking at. In the On Going Investigations Room, there is an interesting exhibit about how modern science techniques have revealed more about the people that lived at Machu Picchu. Analysis of bones recovered from the sanctuary give an informative insight into their diet, common health issues and diseases. There is also a rather disturbing (but interesting) exhibit of how the Inca’s used cranial deformation techniques on newly born babies to enhance social status. However, for us, the Discovery Cave and the Historical Photos exhibits are two of the best attractions. Visitors have the opportunity to see photos and original documentation from the 1912 excavation of Machu Picchu; which, for me is a fascinating look into the adventurous world of the explorer himself – Hiram Bingham.





Entertaining and Educational Evening Events A couple of fun ways to spend the evening in Cusco. These can easily be added to your itinerary to round off a day in Cusco. Evening Inca Cosmology & Astronomy Enjoy a unique and unforgettable evening learning about Inca Astronomy & Cosmology at the Cusco Planetarium. In common with many ancient civilizations the Inca had a profound relationship with nature in all its aspects and a deep cosmic vision of the relationship between the heavens and earth and the place of man in this relationship. A lecture in the Interpretation Center

regarding the relationship between

Andean Man & the Cosmos

Using projection equipment inside a

dome we explore the Southern

Hemisphere night sky.

We complete the night outside with

telescopes to actually view the stars and

the constellations.





Evening Pisco Museum (7pm – 9 pm) 10 minutes’ walk from your Hotel we find ourselves at the Pisco Museum. What better way to end the day than with a short tour describing the history, culture and techniques in making the Peruvian National Drink. Pisco Tasting Your choice of four different varieties culled from hundreds of Piscos already vetted by our resident experts.

You’ll get an up close and personalized introduction to its history, diffusion, the process and how to best appreciate Peru’s national drink. Choose from a single grape varietal, a Master Distiller’s inspirations across various varietals, Elevation, North to South or the house favorites.





Sacred Valley of the Inca Highlights Pisac Market A famed hill town, Pisac is a great place to purchase top quality Andean knitwear at lower prices than visitors will find in major cities during their travel to Peru. Woven blankets, tapestries and alpaca garments such as sweaters and mittens, colorful fabric and accessories are found in abundance at the Pisac market in addition to pottery, jewelry and other handicrafts. Though Pisac’s biggest crafts market takes place on Sunday, you will find fewer tourists and smaller crowds in general if you visit the weekday craft markets. The village’s largest produce market, Mercado de Treque is also held on Sunday, bringing a multitude of vendors from the countryside to supply the local population with produce, fresh from the fields.





Pisac Inca Ruins The area is perhaps best known for its Incan ruins, known as Inca Pisac, which lie atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. The ruins are separated along the ridge into four groups: Pisac, Intihuatana, Q'allaqasa, and Kinchiracay. The Intihuatana group includes the Temple of the Sun, baths, altars, water fountains, a ceremonial platform, and an Intihuatana, a volcanic outcrop carved into a "hitching post for the Sun" (or Inti). The angles of its base suggest that it served to define the changes of the seasons. Q'allaqasa, which is built onto a natural spur and overlooks the valley, is known as the citadel. The Inca constructed agricultural terraces on the steep hillside, which are still in use today. They created the terraces by hauling richer topsoil by hand from the lower lands. The terraces enabled the production of surplus food, more than would normally be possible at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet. The narrow rows of terraces beneath the citadel are thought to represent the wing of a partridge (pisaca), from which the village and ruins get their name. Birds are also common in the area at dusk. With military, religious, and agricultural structures, the site served at least a triple purpose. Researchers believe that Pisac defended the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley, while Choquequirao defended the western entrance, and the fortress at Ollantaytambo the northern. Inca Pisac controlled a route which connected the Inca Empire with the border of the rain forest.





Ollantaytambo An attractive little town located at the western end of the Sacred Valley. The town has been built on top of original Inca foundations and is the best surviving example of Inca town planning. The town is located at the foot of some spectacular Inca ruins which protected the strategic entrance to the lower Urubamba Valley. The temple area is at the top of steep terracing which helped to provide excellent defenses. Stone used for these buildings was brought from a quarry high up on the opposite side of the Urubamba River - an incredible feat involving the efforts of thousands of workers. The complex was still under construction at the time of the conquest and was never completed. Chinchero Chinchero was once one of the most important Inca towns in Peru. There is a lovely Colonial Church and a great plaza where a local market is held.





On the Road between Pisac & Cusco: Awankancha Living Museum On route we can stop at Awanakancha, which is a great place for an introduction to life in the High Andes. Here you will see traditional weavers at work and come face to face with llamas, alpacas and other Andean camelids. Entrance is free, they hope to make money by donation or by the sale of arts and crafts available in their shop. Animal Rescue Center A family run Animal Rescue Center on the road between Pisac & Cusco. Injured animals are rescued from the wild and nursed back to health and released back into the wild if possible. Payment is by donation and at your discretion. Currently there are Llama, Alpaca, Condors and a Puma in residence so a great opportunity to see these animals up close and personal.





Sacred Valley Lunch Options Lunch at Wayra Ranch with Paso Horse Show A casual gastronomic style that emphasizes local flavors and customs. Delicious Peruvian cuisine at the "Chef's Table". The underground wine cellar contains vintages from all over the world and the restaurant promotes Peruvian Pisco. The restaurant is decorated with items of popular Peruvian art. This is the place to enjoy the privileged atmosphere of the Sacred Valley and the traditional Peruvian Paso horse. It has direct access and facilities for events of all types, artistic and cultural shows, cookery classes and demonstrations tours and wine tasting. Posada Tunupa Lunch Posada Tunupa serves perhaps the finest buffet lunch in the Sacred V alley, and the Posada itself is set in extensive gardens with beautiful views across the Valley.





Moray, Maras & Salt mines Moray A further breathtaking 20 kms drive with the beautiful snowcapped Chicon and Veronica mountains in the Cordillera Vilcanota as a backdrop we continue through to Moray. In Moray we visit “ the Inca agricultural greenhouse or laboratory”, consisting of four platforms amphitheater style or. Has a depth of 150 meters, the overlapping concentric circular stone

rings widen as they rise. It was an experimental place to study the adaptation of plants to new ecosystems.





Maras / Salineras ( Salt mines ) Located 7 miles from Moray at an altitude of 3, 380m is a small village, as a model of a miniature city. Famous for its salt mines, made up of about 3000 small wells with an area average size of about 5 ms ². These were already exploited since Inca times as a means of economic exchange and securities. It is very interesting to see how the salt is recovered from these mines and the lives of those who work here.





About Us – The Luxury Peru Travel Company

For over 16 Years, The Luxury Peru Travel Company is a First Class & Luxury Peru Vacation Operator based in Cusco, Peru. Luxury Peru Travel won “Best Tour Operator” 2012 by DIRCETUR the Peruvian National Tourist Authority for Cusco & Machu Picchu. Our mission is to provide unique, personalized Peru Vacation experiences for our clients, listening carefully to your needs, wants & desires and customizing a Machu Picchu Vacation itinerary that meets these perfectly, and at the right price.

Detailed Expert Local Knowledge Booking a major trip is exciting, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. We understand. That's why we have live Peru Travel Experts here to take care of your every need, making your trip stress-free & amazing. Contact Us Call Toll Free: 1800 298 3158 e-Mail: [email protected] Skype: LuxuryPeruTravel Live Online Chat: https://secure.livechatinc.com/licence/2558521/open_chat.cgi?groups=0

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cusco & sacred valley attractions - free download

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