Moray & Chinchero

There are two stops featured in this post. First, the agricultural terraces of Moray which are stunning to behold and give new meaning to the words “crop circles”. The second stop we hit was a little town called Chinchero which swirls with rumors both past and present.

The road to Moray is a beautiful winding switchback up and between the Sacred Valley mountains.

The main terrace of Moray is almost a 100 feet deep and is the largest and most well-preserved of the terraces on the site.

Tourists are no longer able to go down into the terraces, but if they were, they would be able to experience different micro-climates as they descended. The center circle is the warmest,

There are 3 other circular terraces in the area, although floods and earthquakes have contributed to their deterioration.

Welcome to Chinchero, a place said to be the birthplace of the rainbow, according to the Incas.

This wide-open piece of land is rumored to be the site of a new international airport which may or may not be completed in a couple of years. International flights currently go through Lima, but it would be nice to arrive here directly instead of having to transfer.

Something a little unusual, a tourist ticket is required to get into the historic part of town.

A tiled rooftop guarded and protected by a pair of Pucará bulls.

There is a market held on certain days of the week where locally made goods and woven textiles are sold. We unfortunately arrived at the end of the day when most of the vendors were gone.

The Iglesia Colonial de Chinchero dates back to the 1600’s. Determined to make their Catholic mark on the landscape, the Spanish tore down an Inca palace and built this church over the foundations. The church is known for its beautiful paintings and a place where many people get married (the front lawn was littered with confetti).

One of the unique things about this church is that it’s bell tower is separated across the field.

Turn away from the church, towards the fields, and see the Inca terraces, their remains still strong, still climbing along the hills.