Dentro del Valle Sagrado de los Incas existe una gran cantidad de sitios arqueológicos y paisajes que no se pueden encontrar en otro lugar del mundo, unos más conocidos que otros. Muchas personas deben haber escuchado algo acerca de las famosas salineras de Maras que forma parte de este valle, pero lo que muchos no saben, es que a tan sólo 10 minutos de este lugar, se encuentra el centro arqueológico de Moray descubierto aproximadamente hace 90 años.
We are not surprised that this word comes from Quechua since it dates from the Inca period. What has not been discovered until now is the origin of this name.
There are some people who say that it is a contraction of the words Muyu (round) and Uruy (below or at the bottom); others that it comes from the word Aymora, which means corn harvest and also the month of May; finally, there are those who say that it comes from the word Moraya (dehydrated potato).
The Moray archaeological center is located just 6 kilometers north of the town of Maras, which allows you to visit both places calmly on the same day. This Inca construction occupies approximately 36 hectares.
Es posible llegar a en carro particular o transporte público, o mejor aún a través de un increíble recorrido de ciclismo de montaña a Moray y Maras diseñado por nuestro equipo de expertos en Terra Explorer.
Once you arrive at this place, the beauty and architectural perfection of the terraces built almost 500 years ago, will make you feel like being on another planet. The view towards them will make you remember different scenarios such as the perfection of the tactile prints, or an amphitheater for thousands of people; in the end, it will depend on your imagination what you can interpret when being there.
The deepest hole is 150 meters, and each terrace has a height of 1.80 meters, which allows for various microclimates on each platform.
Another incredible gift this place brings you is that being here; you can see some very important snow-capped mountains of the Andes Mountains, such as the snowy Pitusiray, Pumawanka, Chicón, and Verónica.
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There are some theories of the origin and use of these perfectly created terraces. These are some of them:
Due to the height of each of the terraces, they have different temperatures that allowed them to plant different types of crops (more than 250 plant species). They were watered with a complex irrigation system and at the bottom of these, they had a rainwater storage system.
All this allowed the lands to have high fertility, where the best corn in the world was worked and harvested, great quality of potatoes, among other products. This shows us the excellent levels of knowledge that the Incas had.
Some studies conclude that this place was used for the astronomical observation that allowed them to monitor the climate change of the Inca empire through sunlight and the shadows generated by the mountains that surround this incredible center.
This theory is based on the fact that a meteorite that fell to the earth fragmented when entering the atmosphere and left nine craters, which allowed the Incas to create this perfection of terraces. This theory does not mean that they weren’t later used for agricultural research.
A mountain bike tour through one of the most beautiful places in the Andes of Cusco: The Maras area. Our adventure begins in the town of Cruzpata, from where we will ride a bicycle to the circular ruins of Moray. On the way, we will go through fields of crops, and we will have a spectacular view of the snowy Verónica and Chicón.
To make the most of the beautiful nature that surrounds us, we will enjoy a delicious picnic outdoors.
Depending on the adventurer’s preference and experience, we adapt the tour and its duration to provide the perfect experience for each one.
Now that you know a little more about the archaeological center of Moray, do you want to visit this incredible place? At Terra Explorer, we have various itineraries for you. If you want to get to know Peru in an authentic and spectacular way, get in touch with us, and we will help you design the trip of your dreams!
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Our experiences are designed considering the least possible exposure, where the final destinations are usually remote places. By their very nature, our adventure activities are considered to be low risk, mainly because they are performed outdoors where ventilation is constant and making it easy to achieve social distancing.
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