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Sacred Valley Day Loop #1: Chinchero

The Story of the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley is a region in the Andes Mountains in the south of Peru near the city of Cusco. Historically, the Sacred Valley has been greatly valued by civilizations living in this area of Peru in the Common Era of time due to its fertile land and low altitude (compared to the rest of the mountains), which created ideal conditions for agriculture. The Qutacalla civilization lived here from 500-900 CE. The Killke civilization lived here from 900-1420 CE. The Inca Empire ruled this area from 1420 until the start of the Spanish conquest, which began in 1532.

The Sacred Valley has its name due to the name of the river that flows through it. This river has a number of names throughout history:

  • Urubamba River: Urubamba in Spanish is copied from Urupampa, a Quechua word that means the Plateau of Spiders. Quechua was the lingua franca, or the adopted common language of the Inca Empire and is now a family of languages spoken by the Quechua People, who live throughout the Andes Mountains in various countries of South America.
  • Vilcanota River: This word in Spanish is likely copied from Willkanuta (Aymara) and/or Willkamayu (Quechua). Aymara is another popular language in South America. It is spoken by the Aymara People, who live in Peru and Bolivia. In Aymara, Willkanuta means “house of the sun,” but in Quechua means “sacred river." 

So, now, the valley is known by two names–the Sacred Valley and the Urubamba Valley–both of which come from the name of the river.

The Sacred Valley was important to civilizations who occupied this area of Peru throughout history due to its agricultural value. The land is valuable because it is fertile–the river obviously irrigates it–and because of its low altitude (compared to the rest of the mountains), which means warmer temperatures, where a wider variety of crops could be grown. Potato, corn, coca, and chile peppers are among the crops that have been commonly grown in this area throughout history.

Here is a cool article about the history of the coca leaf in Peru: https://daily.jstor.org/what-coca-means-in-peru/

    Chinchero, Peru

    We found a one-day tour that would take us on a loop through the Sacred Valley with stops at five famous sites. Our first stop was Chinchero, a town in the Sacred Valley.

    Look at the map below. We traveled the "purple line" in our tour van from our hostel in Cusco to Chinchero.

    History of Chinchero

    Here is a timeline of "most important events" that tell the story of Chinchero:

    • During the Inca era, Chinchero was an important site due to its fertile land where they cultivated potato.
    • Around 1480, Túpac Yupanqui, the Sapa Inca, or monarch of the Inca Empire, from 1471 to 1493, had a palace (the Palace of Túpac Yupanqui) constructed where he and his family would reside.
    • In 1493, Túpac Yupanqui died, some suspect, after being poisoned by one of his wives, Chuqui Ocllo.
    • In 1536, the palace was destroyed. The Inca Empire is considered to have ended in 1533 when it collapsed due to the Spanish conquest. After this, the Neo-Inca State evolved as a rump state, which is a remnant of a much larger state that has collapsed or shrunk due to a variety of possible reasons, in the region of Vilcabamba. Manco Inca Yupanqui was the Sapa Inca of this state. In 1536 when Manco Inca was fleeing Spaniards, he set fire to Chinchero after he passed through it in order to destroy any resources and provisions that his pursuers might have otherwise been able to benefit from during their chase.
    • In 1607, the Spanish Empire finished their construction of a church, la Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Monserrat, above the remains of Túpac’s palace. A source that I read considered this symbolic–As if it was meant to assert their takeover of this area from the Inca Empire.
    • After the erection of the church, a town was built. This is Chinchero. A site I read said that the town of Chinchero was built on top of Incan remains.

    Source: https://www.boletomachupicchu.com/parque-arqueologico-chinchero/

    Walking Through Chinchero

    Our van parked in the center of the town and then we walked through the streets and up towards the Archaeological Park of Chinchero, where we would get a bit of an aerial view of the town.

    The Town from Above

    Archaeological Park of Chinchero

    Next, are some pictures of the archaeological site. First, there is a panorama shot of the church, La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Monserrat. Then, you can see pictures that show the church built on top of the ruins of Túpac's palace. 

    Finally, in the "backyard" of the church, you can see the famous Incan terraces. These terraces, which look like hillside stairs, are found at Incan sites throughout the Sacred Valley. The Inca people would construct these terraces for agricultural purposes. Each tier, or level, presented unique conditions--different types and consistencies of soil, as well as different levels of exposure to environmental elements, such as wind, rain, and temperature--that enabled the Inca people to cultivate a variety of crops, each of which would grow better at different levels, in a single place.

    Centro de Producción Textil Illapa

    Before leaving Chinchero, we stopped at this textile shop. This region of Peru is known for its handmade products. In the pictures, you see shawls, blankets, backpacks, dolls, and other clothing items. I bought a sweater made of Alpaca (llama) wool for my dad.

    Also, can you see the three-level house behind the woman knitting in the first picture below? This is a home for guinea pigs, a common pet and delicacy food item in Peru and a few other South American countries, such as Bolivia and Ecuador. We would eat one later on this trip...

    El Fin