DAY THREE
THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015
EXPLORING THE SACRED VALLEY: OLLANTAYTAMBO & CHINCHERAS
After a buffet breakfast at the lodge, this morning started with a traditional (symbolic for tourists, I’m sure) despacho ceremony, where a local shaman created a bundle of various elements (coca leaves, llama wool, quinoa seeds, candies, etc.), then blessed each of us.
The three coca leaves he’s holding represent the three levels of the Inca world: serpent, puma, and condor.
After wrapping the bundle, he came around to each of us and placed it on us, while ringing a bell to call on Pachamama, or Mother Earth.
After we finished creating the offering, we went outside to symbolically burn it in order to send our prayers to Pachamama for a good trip. Despacho literally means “shipment,” as if we were “shipping” our prayers directly to Pachamama.
I will say that it was really gloomy in the morning and then the sun came out after the ceremony, so… maybe there’s something to it! Either way, it was a really interesting experience and nice to get a taste of a ceremony brought down from the high Andes by the Q'ero, a Quechua-speaking indigenous people.
Feeling fully blessed, I couldn’t help but walk around the lodge for a little while to take pictures of the beautiful surroundings in daylight.
Our main destination today was the Sacred Valley town of Ollantaytambo, which is the only Inca town that’s still inhabited, and is primarily occupied by direct descendants of the Incas.
The whole town is so picturesque, featuring lots of little alleyways and cobblestone pathways with colorful flag pennants waving, and the imposing presence of the Andes right behind every building, stretching vertically up into the sky.
We were taken into a traditional wasi (house), where we could see how the people lived in Inca times.
Ana Maria showing us how they made flour by grinding freeze-dried potatoes
And pointing out the llama fetuses hanging from the ceiling, used as an offering to Pachamama
Stepping outside on the old stone walkways, we learned about the running water system put into place by the Incas that is still in place in modern Ollantaytambo. The animals clearly take advantage by stopping for a drink!
From the walkway, we also got our first real look at Ollantaytambo’s namesake archaeological site, (presumed to have been) built by the Inca emperor Pachacuti in the mid-15th Century as his personal estate. Less than a hundred years later, the ruins played a vital role in the Inca resistance against the Spanish conquistadors.
As a group, we walked up the terraced steps as our guide Ana Maria gave us some history along the way, while pointing out various specific elements of the Inca architecture.
Temple of the 10 Windows, looking out over the Sacred Valley
View of the other side of the valley from the top
K’uychipunku ruins
Following our visit, we headed back on the road and stopped for lunch at this gorgeous little Sacred Valley lodge called Sol & Luna. The lunch was nice, but it was the grounds that were really stunning, offering path after path of vibrantly colored flowers and picturesque architecture, all with the dramatic Andes looming behind.
Driving higher and higher within the Sacred Valley, we stopped at a great vista to take pictures. The view was lovely, but I adored these little kids playing with their dog and helping their parents sell souvenirs!
As we were driving to our next destination, we spotted a rainbow on the mountain! We were on our way to Chincheros, a small Andean village believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow, so it felt so meaningful and meant to be.
In the town of Chincheros high in the Andes, many people live and work much as they have for centuries, farming small plots of land using little more than hand tools, raising sheep, llamas and alpaca, and weaving their wool into beautiful blankets and garments. The town’s weaving cooperative is an effort to preserve these ancient ways by passing them on to new generations, and we were in for a treat of a weaving demonstration.
When we arrived, we were greeted by the locals serving us coca tea to help with the altitude.
All in all, a really lovely and meaningful day!