Moray, Agricultural Terraces - Maras, Salt Pans

The Incan Agricultural Terraces at Moray. Moray, archaeological site about 50 km northwest of Cuzco on a high plateau at about 3500 m, is an archaeological Inca group, mostly consisting of several enormous terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is about 30 m deep. The purpose of these depressions is uncertain, but their depth and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 15°C between the top and bottom. This large temperature difference was possibly used by the Inca to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops. In other words, Moray was perhaps an Inca agricultural experiment station which as many other Inca sites, has a sophisticated irrigation system. Book the tour of Maras & Moray or include it in a Travel Package.

The Salt Pans at Maras. Maras, 40 km north of Cuzco, is well known for its nearby salt evaporation ponds. In use since pre-Inca times, salt has been obtained in Maras by evaporating salty water from a local subterranean stream. The highly salty water emerges at a spring, a natural outlet of the underground stream. The flow is directed into an intricate system of tiny channels constructed so that the water runs gradually down onto the several hundred ancient terraced ponds of less than four meters square in area, and about thirty centimeters in depth. All are necessarily shaped into polygons with the flow of water carefully controlled and monitored by the "farmers". See our travellers' testimonials.

The pond's keeper then closes the water-feeder notch and allows the pond to go dry. Within a few days the keeper carefully scrapes the dry salt from the sides and bottom, puts it into a suitable vessel, reopens the water-supply notch, and carries away the salt. Color of the salt varies from white to a light reddish or brownish tan, depending on the skill of an individual "farmer". The effect of sunlight reflecting from the maze of ponds is quite stunning. Combine the Maras & Moray tour with a tour of Machu Picchu!