 Looking southeast over the Rio Chongo River Valley. |  Beautifully symmetrical terraces on the southern exposure. |
Pisac, (or P'isac in Quechua, still the first language of most of the people living around here) is referred to as an Inca ruin but in fact predates the Inca by 800 years. The Wari (or Huari) settled in for the long haul around 1500 years ago and expanded the site over the next 800 years until the Inca arrived and subjugated them. The Inca made numerous additions over the next 200 years until the Spanish arrived in the 1500's to loot everything precious and destroy all things religious to the native people.
The strategic mountaintop location commands the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley. This was the largest inhabited area in the valley with over 20,000 acres terraced and under cultivation. The terraces literally wrap around the mountain from top to bottom.
Much of what I learned here turned everything I previously thought on its head. I thought the valley was settled first and then subsequent terraces were built farther up. Turns out the Wari preferred to start at the top and build down for reasons of safety from both natural disasters and human invasion. Water wasn't the problem I thought since there are two lakes higher up the mountain and the Wari had an extensive irrigation system, some of which is still functioning. Something else I found interesting is that the stone retaining walls of the terraces act as heat reservoirs that increase the temperature of the air on the terraces and continue to radiate heat into the evening thereby increasing crop productivity.
The strategic mountaintop location commands the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley. This was the largest inhabited area in the valley with over 20,000 acres terraced and under cultivation. The terraces literally wrap around the mountain from top to bottom.
Much of what I learned here turned everything I previously thought on its head. I thought the valley was settled first and then subsequent terraces were built farther up. Turns out the Wari preferred to start at the top and build down for reasons of safety from both natural disasters and human invasion. Water wasn't the problem I thought since there are two lakes higher up the mountain and the Wari had an extensive irrigation system, some of which is still functioning. Something else I found interesting is that the stone retaining walls of the terraces act as heat reservoirs that increase the temperature of the air on the terraces and continue to radiate heat into the evening thereby increasing crop productivity.
 Entrance to the religious center of Pisac |  Stone work here rivals Machu Picchu, especially noted for smaller size of stone |
It's hard to get a good picture of the full layout of the site since much is gone and it spreads out around and down the mountain. But what's left is pretty amazing. The following slideshow gives some examples of things to see. I hope the photos give some feeling of the scale, verticality and beauty of the site.
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