Pisac is an enchanting place, calm and above all very attractive. The town is at the foot of a mountain by the side of the Vilcanota River. It is picturesque. The town, the important archeological site above the town, its fields and terraces, its customs and its traditions make Pisac a marvelous place.
Close to the city of Cuzco, Pisac is only forty minutes away by bus. During the trip you enjoy amazing scenery of stunning mountains and valleys. After crossing the plateau above Cuzco the road suddenly arrives at the steep gorge that is Cuzco’s Sacred Valley of the Incas. From its lip you look out at the amazing valley below you with its terraces, corn fields, and quaint towns.
When you arrive at the town of Pisac you must first cross the bridge over the Vilcanota River and then enter town through a narrow road. It is filled with businesses: restaurants, handicraft stores, cafes, hostals, esoteric centers, and more. We then arrive at the Plaza of Pisac which also is surrounded by restaurants and cafes. We can sit on their balconies and enjoy a drink will taking in the view. In the middle of the plaza rises an ancient, giant tree.
Pisac’s houses are decorated with sculpted images, such as llamas, that belong to the place. They fill many walls and house fronts.
From here we can take a bus or taxi up to the entrance to the archeological park, which is on the mountain well above the town, or we can walk. If you take a car or bus you have to go around to the other side of the mountain on the road that goes around it and then rise up to the remains of this Inca estate. This is the route taken by most tourists who have bought a tour package from an agency.
The other option is to climb up the mountain on foot from the Plaza of Pisac. This is the way the Incas would have entered their Pisac up on the mountain from the river valley. It only takes thirty minutes to walk and it is a good, little trek.
We start climbing, passing by terraces which let us experience every level. After a tiring climb we go through the best part as we come on an enchanting place filled with marvelous scenery and unbelievable views. The magical part is being able to see the entire Sacred Valley with its immense corn fields. The energy of the place also impacts us. It is like being suspended in an ancestral time.
From these mountains you not only have impressive views, you also feel the breeze as it ebbs, flows, and whistles by. The best is to wait for one of the Andes divine sunsets.
Pisac is a much valued place. People want to go there and stay, to spend a weekend. It seduces people today just as it undoubtedly did to our ancestors in Inca times.
At the same time going to Pisac is to encounter the glories of the past, it is also to enter a very cosmopolitan place. It is surprising to see restaurants with many different types of food, a variety of cafes, discotheques, bars, and hotels. Pisac is a recommendable place to visit, relax, and spend a few days getting to know all that it has to offer.
On weekends, the farmers take over the town’s plaza to create market and sell their produce. Pisac becomes a grand fair. These are special days where people come from distant communities and still engage in barter, exchanging their produce from the highlands for things from the valleys or the rest of Peru. As an example, people might exchange the potatoes, tarwi, and quinoa they have grown for corn, or even products from the city such as sugar, rice, salt, and so on.
The market is really amazing. The agricultural produce and other products they bring are good and inexpensive. Many people come from all around to this market to buy good foods that are, above all, healthful.
In the same place you also find a well known handicraft market. There they sell weavings, jewelry and other work in silver, as well as a whole range of handicrafts. Pisac was long famous for its hand painted ceramic beads. You can go their and buy souvenirs as well as a whole range of gifts.
Pisac awaits us. In what follows we share with you some images of our trip to this enchanting place.
