Moray, Salinerias and Ollantaytambo

The series of concentric terraces to re-create different micro-climates

Along our route towards Macchu Picchu we visit Moray. Now this amazing site particularly appeals to the scientific in me. The Incas understood that if they wanted to expand even further on the continent they had to maximise their agricultural efficiency. They chose a site between a mountain and a valley and constructed a series of concentric terraces to experiment with crops. Believe it or not, the temperature difference between the innermost lowest circle and the higher sections of the terraces is an astonishing 15°C. Obviously there are different sun expositions (depending on the orientation of the terraces) and by varying the amount of irrigation they could re-create an array of conditions to match the different climates they had in their realm. Basically they grew coca plants, cocoa and tropical fruits in the lower sections, potatoes on the middle terraces and corn at the top. 

Then we went on to another Incan machine for expansion 5km away : Salt pans. The Incas discovered that the water was particularly salty at this spot. They channeled it and concentrated it to obtain saturated brine which they left  to evaporate for a few days to a couple of weeks in order to obtain salt. They loved the salt so much that at first a lot of the Inca nobles were dying of throat cancer! They toned it down somewhat and used it in a barter system trade to procure themselves other important resources.  

More Pictures : Moray & Salt Pans

And after all that we finally reached Ollantaytambo which is our launching pad for Macchu Picchu. In that small town nested on the valley floor between a range of imposing mountains we visited the impressive ruins that the Inca (yes again!) left behind. This town used to be a military, administrative and urban powerhouse before the arrival of the Spaniards.  

More Pictures : Ollantaytambo

Flawless construction. No mortar used to hold the stones together. 

On a side note we really enjoyed a restaurant in particular there : the Hearts Café. It was set up by a British lady who left everything in the UK to help the people of this area. The restaurant is run like any other except that all the profits go towards the educational advancement of the Queshua communities in the region.

If you'd like to see what they do : http://livingheartperu.org/index.html