Pisac Market
On Sunday and Tuesday villagers will walk for miles to bring their products to the mountainside town of Pisac.
We visited on Sunday and found a mix of products for sale. There were grains, fruits and items for trade. There were also numerous booths with items for sale to the tourist trade. The atmosphere was colorful and the costumes were vibrant.
The older Inca women wear traditional garb most of the time, especially those over the age of ...let's say 40. As in so many places in the world the men for the most part have adopted the jeans and tee shirts, making getting a photo of a male in traditional dress very hard indeed. Most of the women's dresses were similar, but the shape, color and style of their hat denotes where the women are from.
Market days seem to be as much a social happening as a commercial one. These two ladies appear to be exchanging the latest tidbits of gossip.
A colorful display of textiles designed to separate the tour bus riders from their wallets. I'm not above spending a little.....just saying.
This Inca lady was wearing layer upon layer of skirts (petticoats?) very colorful indeed.
Ice Cream bars must be a special treat for these cuties.
Patsy's new Peruvian friend.
This picture looks like I am the luckiest tourist in the world to stumble upon this perfect scenario...well truth is, children are dressed up like this to wander the market and pose for the tourist for a Sole (.26 cents).
Look out Bryce I'm thinking up a costume for you!
Near the Village of Pisac is a tourist trap/weaving center that was quite interesting for photo taking. Attached was the expected gift shop where the prices were so high they forbid photos!
The Vicuna, this little guy produces the most prized fleece. He is protected by the government and is not allowed to be exported. Perhaps by not allowing exportation of Vicuna stock to farmers around the world they hope to control the price of his fleece.
Alpacas and Lamas are raised on mountain slopes several hundred miles from here or as our guide said "way on the other side of those mountains, the big ones with the snow". A few days later we will be snapping pictures of these herds from the train window.
One of the displays of the many colors you can dye the yarn using only natural materials.
There are so much woven items for sale in Peru there must be electric looms somewhere.
Pisac Ruins
High above the Village of Pisac and the weaving center is a ancient Inca Village known only as the Pisac Ruins.
Forgive the double, I can't figure out how to delete.
Chinchero Moray Circles and the Salineras Salt Mines
After spending the previous day seeing all there was to see in and around Pisac in one end of the Sacred Valley, a good nights rest was the plan. After our home cooked (not by us) breakfast we were to head out with our driver Rosalia and Guide Armando to explore the other end of the valley. Most of us made it, one did not. If there is a germ to be consumed, I am like the miners Canary, I drop first. So long before day break it became apparent there was only going to be one short route for me to travel and travel again for most of the day. So following are everyone else's pictures and impressions of the day.
Chinchero Village is said to be the birthplace of the rainbow, it is also the highest village we will visit on this leg of the trip. Probably not a bad thing to be back at the Villa by myself. Look at those stairs!
It would be my guess that the stylish red hat denotes the Village of Chinchero.
These salt mines have operated continuously since before the arrival of the Spanish. Families own and harvest from one or several of the individual pens.
This lady, walking the narrow path was carrying a baby on her back in the traditional way. Notice the 2 shovels in each hand. She is a member of a family who mines 10 or 12 of the pens of salt. The evaporation process takes 8 days and then the salt is placed in 125 lb bags and carried up the steep mountain.
The Morey Circles represents a Inca agriculture method. Each ring was designed to grow crops that required different temperature gradients.
What can I say about this one?
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