Cusco is located at the head of the Inca's sacred valley. They called it the navel of the world. Sorry short history lesson: The Incas (1400-1532) followed after many other impressive but not so powerful tribes, including Chavin, Chimu, Moche, Nazcans and Huari. Spanish chroniclers wrote of the legend that told of Manoc Capac and his sister being created by the sun god and rising out of Lake Titicaca to start a chosen race. Heading north to find fertile land they settled at Cusco making it their capital around 1200AD. Over the next 300 years they grew to be the biggest and most powerful tribe in S. America spreading through Ecuador, Bolivia and northern Chile and Argentina. They subjugated other tribes and adopted their gods and any useful technical innovations. After the death, in 1527, of their ruler Huayan Capac civil war broke out and the empire split. The southern part ruled by his son and the northern part by his half-brother. When the Spanish (Francisco Pizarro) arrived in Peru in 1532 the empire was weakened by the division and playing uncle against son the Spanish easily defeated the Incans and arrived in Cusco in 1533. (The use of horses, good weapons and new diseases helped).

All through the sacred valley are Inca ruins, the most impressive being Machu Pichu. Cusco itself has lovely plazas surrounded by beautiful colonial buildings, some constructed over the surviving walls of Inca buildings. The first day we bumped into our French friends from the pass, their vehicle still OK from the repairs!

We decided Gerty and we needed another rest so booked some tours to the surrounding sites. The first day we did a city tour visiting the cathedral and five Inca sites. The cathedral was built around 1560 on the site of an Inca palace using stones from a nearby Inca ceremonial site. Altars all around the cathedral are covered, and I mean covered, in gold taken from the Inca sites. A painting in one corner depicts the last supper. The Peruvian artist, not knowing any better, painted the meal of local beverages and food including guinea pig. I won’t go into any detail about the other sites just to say Koricancha was a temple for worshiping major deities and its walls now sit under a Convent. Saqsaywaman originally thought a fort but more likely another temple has impressive stonework with mortar-less joints, different sized keystones, trapezoid windows, niches and slightly inclined zigzag walls designed to withstand earthquakes. Some of the stones used weigh up to 130 tons. Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambo Machay, the three other sites also had similar stonework. After all these sites Peter needed a beer (or two) in Cusco’s British pub (the Cross keys). A couple of pints of Abbot Ale later he was ready for more. I on the other hand had to resort to some oxygen for altitude sickness. Believe it or not you buy it in large aerosol cans sold in all the chemists.

The next day we travelled along the Sacred Valley. The river Urubamba flows through it and was obviously very important to the Incas as the valley has many sites. On the way we visited a weaving workshop. The dyes used are all natural. In the case of red it is a bit too natural being made from crushed Cochineal beetles that live on Opuntia cacti. The beetle (actually a scale insect) produces Carmic acid to ward of predators and from this the red dye Cochineal is produced. Peru is the largest exporter of this dye. According to Wikipedia it is used in many cosmetic and food products, often referred to as E120 in the ingredients. I’m not sure I like the idea of eating crushed beetles. For some unknown reason the workshop had a life sized replica of a Condor. Useful for the touristy photo. Further down the valley we visited Pisaq, an impressive ruin of an Inca city with various buildings, aqueducts, fountains and some wonderful terracing. Even more impressive was Ollantaytambo, a well preserved Inca town high up the mountain side. How they got the large stones across the river and up to the site is still being debated. By this time we were both flagging but managed to visit one more site; Cinchero (the remains of a royal Inca estate). Another beer and Peter was ready again.

The third day we visited Moray, an amazing complex consisting of a number of large circular and elliptical agricultural terraces. It is thought that the Incas used the complex as a sort of experimental farming centre growing and acclimatizing plants from all around their empire. Each circular terrace provides a different micro climate. The number of types of potatoes and corn they developed reached into the hundreds. After a short rest we popped along to the Maras salt pans. Over 3000 pans each one producing 50Kg of salt per season from the hot very salty (60%) water coming from the mountain (possibly from an ancient sea bed)

The fourth day we visited Tipon, a complex of farming terraces with water channels and waterfalls part of the largest know hydraulic system constructed by the Incas. A break from Inca ruins was the visit to the San Pedro colonial church in Andahuaylillas with the most amazing interior including three gold leaf gilded altars, walls covered in colourful frescos and large oil paintings and beautiful Moorish style decorated roof timbers. It is known as the Andean Sistine Chapel.

If you are still awake we have reached our fifth day and our visit to Machu Picchu. The day started at 5.00AM with a coach ride to the station and then a 2 hour train journey through the sacred valley to the town of Agua Calientes. From there a coach takes you up to the site and what a site. It puts all the other Inca sites in the shade. Despite it being very misty with some rain (which cleared by lunchtime) the site was spectacular with houses, plazas, terraces, living quarters, workshops, temples and a scary bridge. Its setting alone, perched on top of a plateau surrounded by steep drops and majestic mountains makes it memorable but the extensive and well preserved ruins are just amazing. It was never found by the Spanish and so remained buried in jungle, until 1911, when it was discovered by US explorer Hiram Bingham. He was led to the site by an 11 year old local boy.

Our run of ruin visits finally at an end we needed a rest so spent our last day wandering around Cusco.