Salt of the Earth

Our next day in Peru would take us into the Sacred Valley, where we would visit the markets in the town of Chinchero.  We also had the option of visiting ruins and salt mines.  We would end our day in the town of Ollantaytambo.

Chinchero

Chinchero is a town with a population of 900 (my guide book) to 5000!(Our native guide).  Our first stop was the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales.  The women here are working with surrounding communities to keep the old ways of dying and weaving. One of the women can speak fluent English, and has been to the United Nations to testify on behalf of keeping traditional weaving practices.  She would explain to my group of nine how wool is gathered from sheep, alpaca, and vicuna.  She showed us how they used the soap plant to wash the wool, and how it was spun on a spindle.  As someone who has cleaned, spun and dyed my own wool, I would further elaborate on her methods to my group.  She would then show us the various plants, insects, and ground stones that were used to dye wool, and the use of various mordants to fix the color and get various shades and tints. (A mordant fixes the dye to the wool so it does not fade quickly - although all colors fade in time.  Different mordants will change the colors from dark to light, etc.  Also, the kind of pot used to dye in, from cast iron to plastic, will affect the mordant.  It is a fun chemistry.)  When one of my group members asked why she did not use a spinning wheel - while that was being translated to her - I explained I also learned on a spindle, and that you can take a spindle anywhere, whereas a spinning wheel is stationary.  She would say the same.  She was aware of spinning wheels, but that she knew of no one who owned one.  We all bought something from these women, and when asked if I would bargain for another group member, I declined saying that I never bargain with women at a center where traditional methods are being used.  They need the money to preserve their ancient methods.  One of the ladies took  such a liking to me as a fellow dyer, that I scored a free scarf!

Various natural dyes.

Showing how the dyes and mordants work. 

Hand weaving

Who wouldn't have fun shopping?

After leaving the weavers, we would walk through Chinchero, which was a village started by the Incas.  Several of their buildings, including the local Catholic church, are built on Inca stones.

This Colonial church is built in Inca ruins.  

The switchbacks on this mountain are the only route to a neighboring village.  There is no car access.

Ruins in the foreground, but a careful look show a red satellite dish!

This woman is dehydrating potatoes.

Frescoes on the outside of the church.

Inca ruins

The Salt Pans

After Chinchero, we went to lunch in the town of Urubamba.  I had my first taste of alpaca meat, and it was yummy!  Alpaca, Llama, and vicuna are members of the camelid family.  Since I have eaten camel in the Middle East, I had no problem eating Alpaca. Llama is mostly a beast of burden, and is not usually eaten.

After lunch, we were given a choice of going on to Ollantaytambo and visiting the Inca ruins there, or going to the salt pans.  I had seen pictures of the salt pans in a recent National Geographic Magazine, and I made a case to my group.  We were not disappointed.

The salt pans from a distance.

One of the most beautiful sites in the entire Sacred Valley is the salt pans of Maras.  A hot spring at the top of the valley bubbles up with  heavily salt-laden water.  The water is diverted into literally thousands of pans, where the water evaporates, leaving salt.  This practice has been done since Inca times.  The salt pans have a fascinating look about them, reminding me of the travertine pools in Turkey.

Hot salty spring water making its way down.

I thought I was smiling.

While, there were other tourist groups there, we were the only one that actually went down into the salt pans, via a very narrow path, and our sure-footed guide, Vidal.

After the salt pans, we went on to the ruins of Moray, which no one knows for certain what the Incas where thinking when they built these terraces.  The current theory is that is was a kind of green house for experimenting with different crops.  The Incas did not leave a written language, but they did have some  kind of iconography, as they had a kind of pony express using runners to go from city to city with messages, and someone had to know how to read and write that iconography.

The terraces of Moray.

Ollantaytambo

This small town of about 700, has been inhabited since the 13th century, long before the Spanish arrived. Two massive Inca ruins dominate this small town.  We hit the town as the Pentecost holiday of Chockikillka was getting under way.  This was awesome, as old indigenous beliefs weave in and out of Catholicism.  I did not get to take as many pictures as I would have liked as the sun was sinking fast.  They had bands, and people in costume marching around the main square.  I would have loved to stay two days in this town to see this festival.

The baker girls are wearing masks.

After we checked in, a few of us went to dinner with our guide, Vidal.  We had second story views of the main square for when the fireworks went off.

The next day, we would take the Perurail train to Agua Calientes (Hot Water), the closest town to Machu Picchu.