What a wonderful day in the Sacred Valley of the Incas! It began with another terrific lecture from Bill, the archaeology expert on the trip. We then drove to the Incan ruins at Ollantataytambo, which is second only to Machu Picchu in size and majesty. Following a delicious lunch, we were treated to an Offering to Mother Earth performed by a shaman and a fascinating demonstration of weaving techniques.
The drive to Ollantaytambo closely follows the river Urumbaba, which is the lifeline of the Sacred Valley. Along the way, we passed a “hotel” – basically a few metal “rooms” precariously perched on a nearly vertical escarpment, accessible only to rock climbers. The only way down: a zip line.
Ollantaytambo is magnificent. Terraces climb 300 feet up the side of a mountain, leading to a temple at the top. It’s a splendid example of Incan construction techniques, with massive stones carved to interlock so closely it’s impossible to slip a piece of paper between them. Window openings and doors are trapezoidal in shape to help withstand tremors. Across from the site, midway up a facing mountain, sit several Incan storehouses for grain, weapons, and other supplies.
From Ollataytambo we made our way to a family-style restaurant called Wayra, where we enjoyed fresh fruits, different kinds of roast potatoes, vegetable and cheese empanadas, sweet potato-pumpkin ravioli, broiled trout, Incan corn with kernels four times as large as the corn we grow in the US, and a series of desserts, blithely violating one of the key maxims for avoiding altitude sickness: eat light. (For the true carnivores, there was pork and beef heart skewers.) During lunch, four men rode horses in intricately choreographed patterns, followed by a young woman and man performing a traditional Peruvian courtship dance.
Next up was a visit to a weaving cooperative in the town of Chincheros, located high up in the Andes at around 12,500 feet. Before the demonstration, a charismatic shaman with a terrific sense of humor prepared an Offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth), consisting of coca leaves topped with dried beans, seeds, an herb similar to sage, raisins, nuts, cookies, and candies – he noted that Pachamama has a sweet tooth – over which he prayed rapidly in Quechua and Spanish.
The shaman also explained that, in the syncretic Incan/Catholic belief system, how you treat dogs determines whether your soul reaches heaven after you die. He said souls come to a river that separates them from God, and that they are met at the river by the souls of their dogs. If they’ve treated their dogs well, the dogs will help them cross the river. If they’ve been cruel to their dogs, the dogs will refuse to help them across and they will be forced to wander without ever reaching heaven. I approve!
A young woman then demonstrated how traditional weavers wash raw wool in a soap derived from a native plant, then dye it with various pigments obtained from plants and crushed-up beetles called cochinels, which are parasites on the ubiquitous prickly pear cactus. She then explained the techniques some of the older women employ to weave colorful shawls, scarves, hats, and so forth, some of which take as long as three months to complete.
Driving back to the hotel, the sun sinking behind the mountains created a fringe of brilliant yellow light above the peaks. Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of the bus to take a photo, but trust me, it was an awe-inspiring end to an awesome day.
PuffinlessTravel 