We went to Salinas and Moray in the hills just above Urubamba. Salinas is an amazing terraced salt pan and extraction site used for salt production since pre-Inca times. The terraced patties are similar in concept to the rice patties of Southeast Asia but are gloriously white. The water coming from within the mountain, in this area, is mineral rich and as such enables the locals to harvest quality salt for the last thousand years or more.
Moray, it is a sunken amphitheater style structure once used by the Inca to perfect agricultural techniques. For me, building such a large structure to refine agricultural practices seems to be a stretch. I overheard a local guide explain a new theory, that special religious crops were planted here that focused on purity for their religious celebrations and ceremonies. Either way, both concepts are working theories and is what makes pre-Hispanic South America so fascinating. So very little is known of the indigenous peoples and their mysterious ways after all this time. The best part about these sites is they are both easy to get to and yet off the beaten path in the valley.
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| Each one of these salt ponds is larger than a swimming pool. |
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| The water is diverted to the ponds in a small canal. |
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| The girls balancing on a ridge between the salt ponds. |
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| The ponds are artistically beautiful and yet produce many tons of salt each year for the benefit of the community. |
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| Looks like a winter wonderland. |
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| We drank some of the water here and it is like brine |
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| The terraces of Moray we visually pleasing to stare at. |
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| If you look closely (by double clicking on the image) you can see people around the upper ring of the first level, this shows how massive the site really is. |
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