hola peru! - part II
The Inca Empire (1200 - 1532) is probably Peru’s most important legacy, and the most famous one. Basically, everywhere we went (except perhaps the jungle, which is its own legacy in its own right) there was always some historical marker from the Inca period. We visited uncountable ruins, most of them awe-inspiring if only for their scale and architecture. The Incas were master astronomers and engineers, and one does not even need to go to Machu Picchu in order to see their skill in constructing unbelievably complex structures. The size of the stones that make up their fortress walls, for instance, can be enormous (see picture below!) and according to geologists, originated from as far as 5 miles away. That’s a long way to haul one stone, carve it just right, and fit it into the wall with thousands of similar stones. Many villages and towns in the highlands still retain remnants of Inca architecture, and exploring these small villages was a very good way to understand more about the Inca Empire and its influence, still very much present today, on daily life in Peru.
Chincheros, one of the villages that has remained mostly unchanged since Inca times
Top: Peruvian babies top the cute list!; coca leaf tea helps you deal with the altitude
Bottom: village women making thread; wool coloured with organic plant-based dyes
The breathtaking ruins of Pisaq, overlooking the Urubamba river valley
Top: the red flag means that the house is a chicha (fermented corn beer) brewery; pink beer is chicha mixed with strawberry juice - very tasty!
Bottom: the Inka bar, featuring a game where you score points by tossing brass coins into the holes of the table for points. The drunker you get, the more fun it apparently is.
The Moray ruins
The otherworldly-looking Moray ruins are a group of concentric terraces that lead right into the valley floor, and the Incas apparently used them as agriculture laboratories. Each terrace has a slightly different temperature than the one above and below it, and the temperature on the valley floor is markedly different from the top. This allowed different species of plants and crops to grow on each terrace, while minimising erosion and offering full control over irrigation. Just look at the photo in the middle, where J and our friend Jimmy are standing right at the bottom. They look so teeny because the terraces are just so huge. The Incas practised hybridisation, which is why Peru has almost 300 varieties of corn on offer. Different seeds were brought from all corners of the Empire, which was one of the largest ones ever in history, ranging from Colombia to Chile and connected via 30,000km worth of Inca highways.
The Salinas salt mines at Maras, still in use after more than 400 years, and their intricate canals which channel saltwater from the mountains
Peruvian dogs!
The first dog in the series, wearing the rather cute sweater was seen in Lima. The breed is called Peruvian Inca Orchid if I remember correctly, and the hairlessness is a key feature in the breed. All the dogs we saw in Peru were mostly happy and healthy. They are allowed to roam freely in the day, and it was always amusing to watch them go by, tail up high, obviously with an agenda in mind. One particular dog (with a nice leather collar, no less) in Agua Calientes came up to us begging for some of our pizza, and after some treats and scratches behind the ears, he sat squarely in front of my chair and refused to let me leave, even when I pushed him gently away.
Llamas and alpacas - good for sweaters, not very good as pets.
Everywhere you go in the highlands, there is bound to be a llama or an alpaca, which is a woolier, sturdier relative of the llama. Alpaca wool is renowned for its softness and warmth, but the actual animal that produces the wool is not very cuddly in reality. They look cute from a distance but they can be pretty aggressive if they wish. I much prefer the baby alpacas - they were kind of like giant, woolier lambs with massive appetites.
Enough for today - the last installment, with Machu Picchu, to follow soon!
Chincheros, one of the villages that has remained mostly unchanged since Inca times
Top: Peruvian babies top the cute list!; coca leaf tea helps you deal with the altitude
Bottom: village women making thread; wool coloured with organic plant-based dyes
The breathtaking ruins of Pisaq, overlooking the Urubamba river valley
Top: the red flag means that the house is a chicha (fermented corn beer) brewery; pink beer is chicha mixed with strawberry juice - very tasty!
Bottom: the Inka bar, featuring a game where you score points by tossing brass coins into the holes of the table for points. The drunker you get, the more fun it apparently is.
The Moray ruins
The otherworldly-looking Moray ruins are a group of concentric terraces that lead right into the valley floor, and the Incas apparently used them as agriculture laboratories. Each terrace has a slightly different temperature than the one above and below it, and the temperature on the valley floor is markedly different from the top. This allowed different species of plants and crops to grow on each terrace, while minimising erosion and offering full control over irrigation. Just look at the photo in the middle, where J and our friend Jimmy are standing right at the bottom. They look so teeny because the terraces are just so huge. The Incas practised hybridisation, which is why Peru has almost 300 varieties of corn on offer. Different seeds were brought from all corners of the Empire, which was one of the largest ones ever in history, ranging from Colombia to Chile and connected via 30,000km worth of Inca highways.
The Salinas salt mines at Maras, still in use after more than 400 years, and their intricate canals which channel saltwater from the mountains
Peruvian dogs!
The first dog in the series, wearing the rather cute sweater was seen in Lima. The breed is called Peruvian Inca Orchid if I remember correctly, and the hairlessness is a key feature in the breed. All the dogs we saw in Peru were mostly happy and healthy. They are allowed to roam freely in the day, and it was always amusing to watch them go by, tail up high, obviously with an agenda in mind. One particular dog (with a nice leather collar, no less) in Agua Calientes came up to us begging for some of our pizza, and after some treats and scratches behind the ears, he sat squarely in front of my chair and refused to let me leave, even when I pushed him gently away.
Llamas and alpacas - good for sweaters, not very good as pets.
Everywhere you go in the highlands, there is bound to be a llama or an alpaca, which is a woolier, sturdier relative of the llama. Alpaca wool is renowned for its softness and warmth, but the actual animal that produces the wool is not very cuddly in reality. They look cute from a distance but they can be pretty aggressive if they wish. I much prefer the baby alpacas - they were kind of like giant, woolier lambs with massive appetites.
Enough for today - the last installment, with Machu Picchu, to follow soon!