The Urabamba Valley, known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas, is a stretch of villages and ancient ruins
spread across a broad plain and the gentle mountain slopes descending Northwest toward the Amazon basin
(further downriver is Machu Picchu). Through the valley rolls the revered Rio Urubamba. With the river at its source,
the fertile valley was a major center of agricultural production for the Incas, who grew native Andean crops such as white corn,
coca, potatoes and quinoa. Quechua speaking residents (the official language of the Inca empire) still work the fields
and harvest salt with methods unchanged since the days of the Incas and market days - although now conducted
to attract the tourist trade as well as inter-village commerce - remain important rituals.
This is the second day of our tour and our bus stops for a short visit at this roadside market.
Later we arrive at the town of Pisac, a pretty Andean village about 30 km from Cusco.
Pisac's famed Sunday market draws many visitors and is one of the liveliest in Peru.
Hundreds of stalls crowd around the central square and spill down the side streets.
Sellers come from many villages, many of them remote places high in the Andes,
wearing the dress typical of their village. These women, weaving colourful belts,
greet us in the parking lot, on our way into the market.
This Andean woman is spinning wool, likely llama or alpaca, with a drop spindle.
One hand twists the spindle while the other hand feeds the wool and thins it out.
The fabric is then woven on old-fashioned looms strapped around the weavers' waists,
(see photo, two above) just as it was done in the days of the empire.
Many families can't afford a sewing machine, so clothes are often sewn by hand.
Music has remained important in Andean life through the centuries. Native instruments include
various kinds of flutes and drums, conch-shell trumpets, and panpipes (above) of all sizes.
Traditional Andean music uses a five-note scale and has a haunting, unforgettable quality.
Paper-thin ceramics made by native artisans and painted
with strands of their own hair, instead of paintbrushes.
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