Sacred Valley - Peru

The market in Pisac, with Inca terracing on the hillside.

Climbing up the terraces to the Pisac ruins.

At the ruins.  We had them mostly to ourselves as the trail linking up with the rest of the site was closed, so the only way to reach this part was straight uphill from town.

Octavo Corpus (a week after Corpus Christi) in Cusco.  Statues of the saints are paraded back to their parish church homes after spending a week in the cathedral.

Every parade contingent has its own marching band.  Their sheet music is attached to the shirt of the player in front.

We loved the village of Chinchero (12,300 ft).  Here is the outside of the church.  Inside, the walls are painted even more densely in this "Andean baroque" style.

Crafts for sale on the plaza in front of the church - the sellers are taking a lunch break in the shade under the wall.

Walking around town in Chinchero.

Chinchero.

Chinchero, market day.  

The Sunday market in Chinchero.

I found the aggressive hawking so overwhelming that all I was able to buy were some little wooden spoons.  As we knelt down over her wares, this woman cooed in my ear, "escoge mami."  People address women as "mami" around here.

People from nearby villages lining up to vote in Chinchero.  Market day was also election day.

On to Ollantaytambo.  A 3-wheeler cab we found amusing.

Ollantaytambo as seen from the ruins high above.

A rare photo of both of us, taken by a passing tourist in front of the Inca granaries on the cliffs above Ollantaytambo.

The train to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu.

The site as seen from the Sun Gate.

Enjoying a break from the crowds in the late afternoon.

The line for the bus to Machu Picchu at about 6 am (bus can be seen 2 blocks down).

An Inca bench near the top of Wayna Picchu (the mountain that looms behind the site), with mist rising up from the valley.

Terracing in the steep cliffs on Wayna Picchu.

Amazing Inca stone work (Temple of the Three Windows).

Last view in the late afternoon after most people had left.

An unexpected encounter.  The llamas keep the grass mown.

Back in Ollantaytambo.  One of the many water channels that run through the town.

Women selling hats near the train station.

Yet another parade, this one in support of the environment featuring the entire school population of the town. 

Another encounter with a bull!  On a walk up the valley to some lesser ruins near Ollantaytambo.

Back in Cusco.  More processions! Folkloric dancing and Andean music by day, and a wild dance-party procession with brass bands at night.  In between, the plaza was always full of middle-school-aged children dancing.  The month of June is devoted to Inca heritage, and the celebration is non-stop.

We found two more saints on their way back to their parish churches, a week after Octavo Corpus.

These saints can weigh 900 lbs.

The amazing Iglesia de San Pedro in Andahuaylillas, a village southeast of Cusco.  The murals inside and the gilded baroque altar are over the top.

Procession contingents line up in a side street before joining the parade in the main square.

The procession in front of the Iglesia de la Compania, with Inca (rainbow) and Peruvian flags.