Tourist attraction of Cusco – Maras
Visiting Hours: Monday – Sunday 07: 0 0 a.m. – 17:30.p.m.
Location: It is located 3375 meter above sea level, 40 kilometers of Cusco City.
Entrada general: S/. 10.00
Maras was an important town during the colonial period (it was the main supplier of salt of the southern highlands), as demonstrated by the church and houses that still retain the shields of indigenous nobility in their facades. The houses are made of adobe, white walls with blue roofs and windows, the streets are made of stone and mud. In the lintels are inscribed in stone can read the date on which they were built, their own or a shield or ornament.
Maras was founded by the Spanish in 1556, and was in charge of the encomendero Pedro Ortiz de Orue, whose house is located one block from the main square, where his chamber door data owner read, it was he who I restore this custom, which until today continues. It is recommended to see the house belonging to the Tupac Inca Sinchi Roca (Jerusalem 249) Jesuit cover (Jerusalem 233), the cover of Sancho Usca Paucar (Jerusalem 245) that surprises with its work and ornamentation.
The San Francisco de Asis Church built by Orue, has four baroque altarpieces of the seventeenth century with beautiful carved and covered with gold leaf. It has wall paintings of the Cusco School painter Antonio Sinchi Roca, with scenes of the Gospel and portraits of saints.
At present the main economic activity is agriculture Maras. Among its most popular attractions are its salt mines, located 10 km. the village. Nearby is the Moray.
The salt mines of Maras Cusco, Cusco Maras Salt
The salt mines of Maras in Cusco, Maras or as they are also called, are salt mines whose exploitation is as old as the Tahuantinsuyo. Located on the hillside, the salt in the form of terraces or platforms is crossed by a stream that feeds the pools of salt water. Using Maras Salt dates back thousands of years and is inherited in each family, but is managed communally.
The name of the salt in Quechua is kachi Raqay and is composed of about five thousand pools of about 5 square meters each, the water seeps into the ponds and evaporates per share of sunshine, making sprout coarse salt crystals, After 1 month, the salt reaches 10 cm. high and it has to be harvested.
The light of all the wells is spectacular. The villagers show visitors their ancestral techniques allowing them to participate in the collection, as well as festivals and Andean rituals.
The place is highly recommended for lovers of photography. The area is ideal for trekking and mountain biking.
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