Pisac
Pisac constitutes one of the most important archaeological sites in the region. It is located about 30 Km. (18.6 miles) to the northwest of Cusco. There is also a colonial town named Pisac in the lower part of the valley, established as a consequence of the famous "Indians Reductions" by which the scattered indigenous people were forced to live in small towns. The Inca site was built taking advantage of the dry and rocky mountain; even more, its location provided protection on the way to Antisuyo (Amazonian part of the Inca Empire). Today there are two possible ways to get to the archaeological site from the colonial town.
Ollantaytambo
Located 97 kms. from Cusco, Ollantaytambo was an administrative, social, religious and agricultural center in Inca times. The site, and the town of the same name, is a must-see amongst the many sites of interest along the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The valley runs along the banks of the Urubamba or, in Quechua, "Wilcamayu" River. Its astounding natural beauty is further accentuated and embellished by the many pre-Hispanic ruins found all along its course.
Maras
Located towards the west of Cusco at an altitude of 3300 meters. (10824 feet), Maras looks over a plain that in prehistoric times was a huge plateau, from which it is possible to observe the Vilcanota mountains including the snow capped Weqey Willka (today "La Veronica", 5,682 meters., 18,641 feet) and " Chikon" (5,530 meters., 18,143 feet). It seems that in Maras there was a pre-Inca settlement with subsequent discontinued occupation.
Moray
About 7 km. (4.3 miles) southwest of Maras is Moray, a unique archaeological site in the region. It can be reached by a dusty road and a path departing from the town. Ir consists of enormous natural depressions or hollows in the ground surface that the Inca used for constructing irrigated farming terraces. There is a surprising difference of average annual temperature between the top and the bottom of about 15°C (59°F) in the main depression which is about 30 meters (100 feet) deep. Moray, because of its climate conditions and many other characteristics, was an important center of domestication, acclimatization and hybridization of crops that were modified or adapted for human consumption.
