WHAT IS THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS?

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is the area where the Incas settled to build temples, fortresses, urban centers and agricultural production centers in this area that includes the provinces of Calca and Urubamba. Extending in the areas of the districts of Pisac, Coya, Lamay, Urubamba, Yucay, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Maras, Moray and the wonder of Machupicchu.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is taken from the basin of the Vilcanota river or Wilcamayu (sacred river) being the main districts most characteristic of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

The Sacred Valley was inhabited by small Andean communities or settlements until before the conquest by the Incas that was given in the mandate of the Inca emperor Pachacutec in the years from 1438 to 1471, who after defeating the forces of the Chancas, began its expansion of territories throughout the area that comprised the empire of Tahuantinsuyo.

The districts of the province of Urubamba such as: Yucay, Ollantaytambo, Huayllabamba and the district of Machupicchu are located on the banks of the Vilcanota river, which is the basin of the sacred valley of the Incas.

The districts belonging to the province of Urubamba such as: Maras and Chinchero are located to the west of the sacred valley, above the plateau of which is Maras – Chinchero.

The districts belonging to the province of Calca such as: Coya, Lamay, Pisac, San Salvador, Calca and Taray are also located on the banks of the Vilcanota river which is the basin of the sacred valley of the Incas.

The snow-capped mountains Chicon, La Veronica, Pumahuanca, Salkantay are the ones that feed all this strait of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Since pre-Hispanic times the sacred valley became the appropriate place for the foundation of towns, it was there where the Incas took advantage of the richness of the land to settle on the banks of the river by the ideal ecological conditions for production with unique features and the presence of snowy and relict forest with a unique environment because of all these features the Incas planned and building urban centers, religious shrines, agricultural centers and military centers.

PLACES BELONGING TO THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS