MORAY , MARAS SALT MINES AND CHINCHERO.
This is a full day tour we pick you up from your hotel in cusco at 8:00 am then transportation to Maras district and we visit to the agricultural laboratory moray where our local guide will explain all in detail about that place mentioned , then transfer to the salt mines “ SALINERAS “ , during the transportation we pass by MARAS district and is possible to appreciate the local activities . before to arrive to the salt mines we stop to see view to all maras “salt mines “ from up on the mountain , after to visit the salt mines we go to Urubamba ( sacred valley ) to have lunch . in the way back to cusco we stop in CHINCHERO to visit the ruins and the colonial catedral , we are back to cusco about 17:00 pm.
MORAY
This archaeological center is unique with incan circular terraces , every terrace with microclimate with very cold temperatures and warm , gradually reducing of the temperatures and we can differentiate more than 20 different weathers where the incas adapted more than 350 species of plants. Moray was a prototype of greenhouse or biological experimental station it was very advanced for that age and helped the american man of old inherit to the humanity a 60 % of the vegetable products that consume , and the people from de andes consume a thousand of variety of potatoes , a hundred and half of corn and many other products.
MARAS
Located west of cusco at 3300 meters above sea level . from this place is possible to appreciate the Urubamba mountain range and the snowy “ la verónica “( 5682 meters above sea level ) and “el chikon” (5530 meters above sea level )the important activity began when the high class of people from Cusco were stripped from their palaces in the cusco and they had to leave and settle in small towns like MARAS. This town has a church made of clay ( ADOBE) , very tipical building in the religious architecture inside the church keeps canvas originals from Cusco art school.
SALINERAS “THE SALT MINES”
On the northeast from MARAS town is the famous “ salineras “. The maras salt mines “salineras” are constituted for about 3000 small Wells and 5 square meters aproximately each one , built on the side of the slope of “Qaqawiñay” mountain and during the dry season the people fill up wáter with irrigation system with salty wáter every 3 days this one comes from natural spring located up on top of the Wells the wáter evaporate and the salt in the Wells solidifies gradually. This process will follow about one month until it get a reasonable volumen of solid salt about 10 cms of high from the floor and later this is crushed and granulated. Then bagged and sent to the local markets in the región. Nowadays this salt is iodized.
CHINCHERO
Typical town , nowadays the people living in this town keep the tradition , customs and the costumes . They make the commercial activities with the Exchange system of products (TRUEQUE).Purely agricultural área due to the platforms. There is a colonial church, built on base of an incan temple show how they have been indoctrinating the inca culture.