Pisaq
STAY Pisac Inn
VISIT Potato Park
EXPLORE The Pisac Market
HIKE The Temple of the Sun and down from the ruins into the village
christina
Arriving in Pisaq was a big breath of fresh air – literally and figuratively. We flew from Lima at sea level to Cuzco at approximately 11,000 feet (3,400 meters) and immediately took a car to Pisaq to get our bearings with the elevation of this mountainous region. Many tourists are known to get altitude sickness so it was recommended by a friend that we head to Pisaq at the entrance to the Sacred Valley in order to settle in and adjust. This was great advice, and I would eagerly pass it onto anyone visiting this part of Peru.
Upon our arrival at the most magical Pisac Inn we were given Coca Tea – which is said by the people of this region to prevent altitude sickness. Coca Tea is illegal in many parts of the world as it is made by the raw and dried leaves of the Coca plant (as in Cocaine). The tea itself is a yellow color and though some find it bitter I loved it. Similar to green tea, it had an earthy, herbal, medicinal taste that also leaves your mouth a bit numb. This was the first of many cups during this segment of our trip. Also worth mentioning is that they make Coca Candies here – kind of like a Riccola with Coca Leaves – similar herbal taste and also mouth numbing, these candies were a huge hit with both of us in the cold weather and with the altitude dizziness creeping in every so often.
Pisaq is a beautiful lively village at the entrance to the Valley and has a stunning cobblestone town square with an artisanal market each week. The original pre-Spanish town was destroyed by the Spanish and the new one currently standing has been around since 1570. Aside from the heavily touristed yet wonderful market, the village is especially known for the Incan ruins that sit just above it. As we were to learn extensively, the Sacred Valley is actually filled with many sites aside from the headlining Machu Picchu, all bewildering and worth the time to see.
Inca Pisac, as the ruins here are known, is remarkable and upon our first view of the impressive Incan agricultural terracing we were just blown away. The terracing is (still) used to facilitate the growing of surplus food that otherwise would be difficult at such high elevations. Before we went exploring, we watched a very interesting documentary called Secrets of the Incas about the history and cultural richness of the Sacred Valley as it relates to Incan cosmology and astronomy. The film is incredible and outlines the Incan system of astronomy which gives myth and spirit to the negative space between what we refer to as constellations. Due to the elevation in this region, the Milky Way, known as Mayu or the River, is/was extremely visible to the naked eye. Its spectacular presence was considered the connection linking humans to the supernatural world. The Incas assigned the black cloud constellations (star dust) shapes and names and referred to them as animals that would come and drink from the River (the Milky Way); our constellations were considered inanimate. The ruins along the Sacred Valley at this and other sites mimic these constellations in shape and form. For instance, the terraces of Inca Pisac are actually in the shape of a Condor – as reflected from above in the Milky Way. It is said that the alignment during that time would have been perfect but now things have shifted slightly. The film is absolutely worth watching if you have some time (I’ll link to it at the bottom). Also, I highly recommended the book Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, by Tankar Eirl to learn more about the great mysteries throughout the Sacred Valley
We took a taxi one-way up the road from the village to get to the ruins and then previously had decided to hike down the mountain on a well-worn path. Upon arrival, we hired an English-speaking guide at the entrance to walk us through the site and he gave us a 1-hour tour of the circuit with valuable understanding of what we were looking at (punctuated by a soft sell of handicrafts from his family including crystals, a wooden flute, an obsidian knife, and some figurines). For us, wandering around after the guide left was a little more enjoyable but I wouldn’t discount it if you’re considering it. Exploring the terraces and the marvel of Incan engineering through their perfectly fitted stone doorways and walls is remarkable. The magnitude of terraces is enormous – measuring way higher than my head – see the pics below The ruins are separated into 4 groups: P’isaqa, Inti Watana, Qalla Q’asa and Kinchiraquay. The Inti Watana grouping is set off down the mountainside away from where all the tourists are (The Only Peru Guide does a great job of explaining how to get there). This area includes the Temple of the Sun which has an astronomical device that is aligned with the winter solstice and therefore was used to communicate the planting season for the Incan crops to the people.
Once we were done wandering the ruins, we set off down the mountain hiking for a few hours until we reached the back of the village. The hike itself is stunning and I couldn’t recommend it more. I think we saw 2 other people on the trail that wrapped around the mountain and down through the terracing. There were awesome vistas into the mountain range, views down through the valley and a clear blue sky above - amazing. It was such a blessing to be up there without any other people, just us and the land and these wondrous terraces that kept going and going! At one point we saw a local woman scurry past us at high speed – it was incredible to watch especially as we were taking it slow given the altitude.
Pisaq's main attraction is its artisan market. Every week they set up in the middle of the square and offer loads of local crafts and goods.
A traditional stone oven bakery
An offering of coca leaves
Hiking along the ridge to the next temple
Giant agricultural terraces
A sun temple up in the mountains above Pisaq town
The town of Pisaq from above
FOOD FACTS: Coca leaf is widely consumed in Peru and helps tremendously for altitude sickness. The native people use it for a stimulant, like coffee, or an energy source or both. Most hotels serve guests the tea on arrival and the leaf has religious and spiritual significance throughout the Sacred Valley.