Moray and Salt Mines Half Day Tour from Cusco

Chinchero has been known as the birthplace of the rainbow, long before it became the birthplace of the Preinca people. Located 30 km north of the city of Cusco on a high undulating plain, Chinchero has stunning views of the Urubamba mountain range. Here, rainbows frequently arch over potato fields after thunderstorms, the life-sustaining rain farmers need for their crops. Thousands of tourists pass through Chinchero en route to or from Machu Picchu, while many make a quick stop to visit the Tupaq Yupanqui ruins and the colonial church located in the heart of Chinchero, at the same time to visit the local textiles associations. These magnificent fabrics have gained international recognition in recent decades. This fame is due, in large part, to the hard work of the local womens. Who have worked tirelessly since the 1960s to bring back their ancestral designs and carry forward their weaving traditions.

It is widely believed that the Moray ruins were used as an experimental farm by the Incas over 500 years ago. This theory was first proposed by anthropologist John Earls in 1975 and officially published in 1981. He supported this theory with several findings after spending weeks living at the site. Firstly, an Inca irrigation system, a series of channels fed by water from a reservoir located higher in the mountains, was engineered into the structures of terraces. He also noticed that the temperature difference from top to bottom ranged an astonishing 27 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius). He also observed that the sun hit each terrace at different angles and intensities.

Maras has been a hub of activity since pre-Inca times, initially serving as an administrative center and commercial exchange point thanks to its rich salt mines. Throughout the Inca and colonial periods, this village was not only prominent in the salt trade through bartering with neighboring regions but also became a significant meeting point for descendants of the Incas and colonists.

You might be wondering how large amounts of salt deposits ended up in the middle of the Andes Mountains. Though the salt pans themselves are man-made, the water that is channeled through them comes from a subterranean natural spring, which is mixed with salt deposits from prehistoric salt lakes. Over millions of years, tectonic plate movement has buried the deposits deep beneath the mountains: the salt is accessible from an underground water flow of brine⁠ – a mixture of salt and water⁠ – that bubbles up in a natural spring near the small town of Maras. Indeed there are many ruins to visit and mountainsides to trek, but one intriguing sight not to be missed are the ancient salt pans, known as the Maras Salt Mines, or Salineras de Maras.

After the Salt Mines and Moray tour you will come back to Cusco around 3:00 pm.