Cusco and Sacred Valley, Peru. Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Peru Maps and transport

the ancient Inca capital of Cusco and the Sacred Valley...

Without much adventure, a brand new Boeing took us to Cusco. The city is located in a valley, at an altitude of 3500 meters. Out of habit, being at such a height is not entirely comfortable, although the height is not enough for real mountain sickness. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, this was the capital of the Inca state. There were many temples in the city, which were later destroyed by the Spaniards. Catholic churches were erected on the site of the largest ones.

This is the preserved foundation of the former Temple of the Sun - the main temple of the city. On the field in front of him, according to the Spaniards, a life-size garden of golden trees was laid out ... Now there is a Catholic cathedral on this place.
Previously, it was believed that, apart from the foundation, nothing remained of the ancient temple. But then, during an earthquake, some walls of the church collapsed. And behind them were the surviving walls of the temples of the Sun, Moon and Lightning. Now they are open and mothballed. They can be seen.

In the center of the churchyard is a sacred stone. The Incas believed that the Sun drinks water from this cup in the morning. Previously, this bowl was also covered with gold.

The ancient walls withstood the earthquake that destroyed the newer buildings of the Spaniards, not by chance. The Incas were very skilled builders. Their buildings are distinguished by high mathematical precision.

The ancient masonry turned out to be much stronger, despite the fact that the Incas did not use mortar, but drove the stones “dry”, using special locking grooves for strength.

In some places, instead of laying old stones with bricks, they were simply plastered and painted. A part of the painting is left here so that you can see how the "disguised" walls looked like during the time of the conquistadors.

In the processing of stone, the Incas knew no equal. And this despite the fact that they did not know how to process metals stronger than copper and gold. All work was carried out stone by stone.

All buildings in all Inca cities found have walls that widen towards the base at an angle of 15 degrees. This makes them highly resistant to earthquakes.

By decree of the mayor's office, in Cusco, all houses must be tiled! A wonderful solution, it has a very beneficial effect on the appearance of the city!

Cusco at night is very cozy. The guides assured us that it was completely safe here and we could safely walk around the city.

The city was very well lit, all the buildings are illuminated by spotlights and are very picturesque.

The homely European, Spanish flavor was even pleasant after the alien buildings of the Incas. Perhaps it is this contrast that fuels opinions about the influence of some alien civilizations on them ...

Pass on the way to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. There was a sentinel fortress here, which served as a checkpoint at the entrance to Cuzco. It was possible to get here only by invitation. In general, the peoples who are now called the Incas themselves called themselves differently. Basically, these were the Quechua tribes. And the Incas are only rulers, an analogue of the Pharaohs, who were considered the descendants of the sun. There were 9 in all...

Sacsayhuaman is the temple complex of the Incas, for a long time, by mistake, was considered the ruins of a fortress ... According to legend, it was built during the first Inca, from huge boulders, more than human growth, weighing up to 200 tons, it is not clear how they were delivered to such a height above the city ...

It was a bit rough on the pass. Almost 4 thousand meters.. And the Peruvians are still successfully cultivating fields here! But, nevertheless, the tales about people falling dead and about the terribly rarefied air that frightened us in Moscow turned out to be greatly exaggerated.

On the way to the Valley, we were taken to a small farm where llamas are bred. Good-natured peasants in national hats offer to feed llamas with hay and buy woolen things in the shop.

There are 4 varieties of llama found in Peru. These are, in fact, llamas, guanacos, alpacas and vicunas. All this, oddly enough, is a variety of camel. Llamas and guanacas are the largest of all, alpacas are the most woolly ...

Vicuna is the smallest, shy and almost never domesticated.

Urubamba, Sacred Valley of the Incas. Around this place in ancient times, the Inca empire began to grow.

The fortress of Ollantaytambo on its slopes.

According to legend, within the walls of this fortress, for a long time, the rebellious general Ollantay hid from the wrath of the Inca, who kidnapped his daughter and later became the greatest conqueror of the Inca empire and expanded its borders by almost a third of the mainland.

Peru, Urubamba, Peru

To show on the map

basic information

The Urubamba Valley was sacred to the Incas. It is famous for its rich history, beautiful nature and many attractions. Urubamba stretches between Cusco and the legendary city of Machu Picchu. Due to the high level of humidity, the valley boasts fertile land with beautiful flora.

Here you can walk for a long time admiring the incredible scenery: high mountains, green fields, steep rivers and ancient Inca structures will make every shot magnificent.

Main Attractions

• The town of Rakchi, where you can see the Temple of Viracoce - a massive structure made of ancient stones
• Pisak is the first stop in the sacred valley. Three times a week in this town there is a colorful market. But the main attraction of Pisac are the ancient ruins of the Incas.
• - the main agricultural center of the Incas, and now it is the largest city in the sacred valley
• The city of Ollantaytambo is interesting in that the locals live in houses from the time of the Inca Empire, having rebuilt them a little. The main attraction of the city is the Temple Hill, made of stone blocks hewn and fitted to each other.
• The salt terraces of Salinas de Maras, built during the Inca period, are still used for salt extraction. Salt water flows from the tops of the mountains to the surface, which settles in three thousand unusual stone reservoirs.
• Moray, located at an altitude of 3500 meters above sea level, is famous for the huge complex of circular terraces built by the Incas for agricultural experiments. The ancient people watched how certain plants behaved at different heights.
• Machu Picchu - this ancient city, built high in the mountains, with many inexplicable mysteries, is the main attraction of Peru, attracting tourists from all over the world

How to get there

• By bus from Grau bus station. Travel time is about 1.5 hours, the cost is about 4 soles. Buses depart every 15 minutes
• By taxi from Cusco in an hour, the cost is 50 soles

Map view Sacred Valley

The map is quite open, but hilly. In the center of the map is a ruined castle, around which there is a village resembling buildings of eastern (Chinese, Japanese, etc.) architecture. Steep mountains rise around the village, which beckon "" players with an abundance of their most wonderful positions, which, let's say, straight-handed guys are not very aware of.

Typical Random Battle Tactics

Let's first take a look at the card itself, what it is!
The bases are located on both sides along the perimeter of the map. The fighting always takes place in the usual standard places. Always at the beginning of the battle, 90-95% of the composition of both teams go to these familiar places and only a few individuals can shake what they have in their heads and climb into those places where it is difficult to get them and where you can inflict a large number without any fear.

Where does he shoot from? - Cool nychki!

Let's now talk about how to deal a large amount of damage without being exposed to enemy fire, as efficiently as possible. We all know that the most important thing for a good and effective fight is choosing the right position. This factor plays the most important role in every fight. And I want to talk about a few of these nychka.

Position A3

The first position is in square A3. Getting here is very easy and fast! The place offers a full view of 2 directions of shelling, and a tree and a house reliably hide your tank from opponents (even from artillery). The only nuance of all these positions is that your tank should be as light and fast as possible. M8A1, T67, Helket, RU251, chaffee are best suited for this. There are many other tanks that are capable of conquering these peaks, but I'm afraid they just don't need it. From these positions, you can both shoot damage and .

Point of entry to the position. With acceleration, we simply fly up the hill, and then up the wall!

The most cherished position! Beware of enemy ATs that stand near the enemy base and work on the light of the LT!

Position E0

The second position is located in the square E0. Just like the previous position, climbing it is very simple. Here, however, there is a certain danger from enemy artillery, but this is not such a big problem if you correctly position yourself and do not twitch once again so that you are not illuminated! Also, on the other side of the same hill, you can work out the second direction of attack from your base, thereby reliably keeping it under protection.

The view from the position to the enemy horizon is simply gorgeous!

Position J9

The third position is located in the J9 square. Check in from the second position E0. We rise to the second position, and then we start free slalom along the snow-covered hills down the 9th line towards the J9 square.

View from the position to absolutely all the main directions in the battle!

First line of fire!

The second line of shooting through the village near the bridge near the castle!

The third line of shooting at control points, where enemy tanks are usually located at the descent to the path leading under the bridge to the castle!

The fourth line of shooting in case the enemy has pushed through the opposite direction and is trying to come at you from behind from your base!

Position F7

Well, the final position is located in the square F7. On this hill in the center of the map, there are many cool positions from which you can work out absolutely all directions on the map in all 360 degrees. The hill is quite gentle, so you can move to any direction without much difficulty! There is only one but. Don't go to the castle itself! From there you will not see anything, and climbing back up the mountain from the castle is quite problematic! You can also go to the castle wall, only there is a big danger from enemy artillery, for which you are a tidbit and easy prey there. Drive on the wall only if you are 100% sure that you will not be handed a big "suitcase" and sent to rest in a warm region called the Hangar, drinking a cocktail of anger and hatred for "one-buttons"!

View of the position! Your tank is securely hidden in dense thickets of bushes, and in order to illuminate you, the enemy needs to try very hard!

The enemy does not see me, although he is already dangerously close to me. But I can confidently fire at the enemy in my own light, relying on my . In the same way, you can move to any other direction and conduct confident control fire at enemy forces from shelters and pits on a hill without fear of being overexposed, since someone rarely drives up to the center of the map.

Output

In conclusion, I would like to show you visually one of these positions and what can be done when choosing the right position! You can see how such tips work for you and what results you can achieve with their help. I hope my story will not be in vain and someone will take note of it. Always remember that there is only one warrior in the field, if he is well-tailored! You can always turn the outcome of the battle in your favor thanks to these nuances and the right positions.

// al-31f.livejournal.com

Going to the Urubamba Valley, I knew absolutely nothing about the history and culture of the Incas. Well, except for the commercials for Imperial Bank. Now, after I went there, looked with my eyes and touched it with my hands, I can say with confidence that now I don’t know much more. Having been in the Sacred Valley, everyone probably returns from there as a believer - it doesn’t matter who does what, but personally, due to a lack of knowledge, it’s much easier for me to believe in Christ and Viracocha than in the fact that all these structures were erected by a civilization not knowing wheels and writing...

In the morning the bus moored at the bus station in Cusco. It took half an hour to sort out the tickets for the subsequent evacuation from here in a couple of days, then we arrived by taxi to the center, where we threw off the extra things at the hostel that Bruce (our friend from Lima) advised us.

Now we need to figure out how to proceed. In the evening we need to be in Oyantaytambo, so that from there we can go by train to Aguas Calientes, a town at the foot of Machu Picchu. Eduardo, the owner of the hostel, advised me to go to the next square after Plaza Armas and fit into some tourist bus. There were no buses on the square. In the first two travel agencies that came across, they said that all the buses left half an hour ago - at 9 am. The third office said that now everything will be, the man made several phone calls, spread his arms and said reassuringly - mañana.

In general, we flew by with excursions, now we need to look for some kind of minibus or, in extreme cases, a taxi. But, as it always happens, a huckster jumped out from around the corner and promised to arrange everything, led us to the next square, pushed us into a bus with schoolchildren, took the money and ran away. The schoolchildren were furious and yelling, it was not clear, the guide on the bus spoke only Spanish or sometimes English, and we did not know at all where we were being taken, but we did not stand still, and this was encouraging)

The first two dozen kilometers are markets. All roadside villages sell llama and alpaca padded jackets and all sorts of other useful and not very souvenirs. Every sightseeing bus stops at one of these markets. At the same time, tourists are told the sad story that the village where the market stands was recently destroyed by an earthquake or washed away by the waters of Urubamba.

The next stop is a jewelry store selling real Inca silver. Real than here is nowhere else in general. We stopped, went out into the street - a dusty roadside, mountains on the sides, devastation - well, right, our Caucasus.

// al-31f.livejournal.com

Peruvians are either fighting corruption, or vice versa, but you can’t buy tickets at the entrance to many archaeological complexes, and where you can, they sell “travel cards” for 5-10 places scattered across the valley. Somewhere in the middle of the road, the bus stops, on a cliff there is a booth that sells season tickets. A new ticket office is being built nearby. It's no worse here than in Tajikistan :)

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But, it is worth moving away from modern civilization, and the real Peru begins, the one for which it is worth going here. We are in the Sacred Valley.

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Tickets bought - now touch the stones. We are going to the archaeological complex Pisak.

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On the terraces, the Incas grew corn and potatoes, and lived in the city above the terraces.

// al-31f.livejournal.com

We had an excursion for local schoolchildren, who do not need all these ruins for nothing - well, stones are piled here, well, they have been lying for a thousand years and will lie for the same amount. Most of the time, the guide tried to gather all her monkeys together so that they would not get lost and fall into the abyss, so there was little adequate information from her. Well, okay, my task is to touch the stones) What do we know about the Peruvian ruins? The fact that the Incas built in such a way that not only the blade of a knife would not crawl between the stones, but even a drop of water would not seep through. Let's go check.

// al-31f.livejournal.com

The rest of the house. The wall is supported by a wooden stick. So-so building, but it stood for 500 years, which is probably cool. Not every modern building will have at least one wall left in five centuries, and even more so in a seismically active zone.

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For some reason, local residents made windows in the walls, and after one they were blocked. Often the buildings adjoined the rocks with one wall. These walls also had the same niche windows.

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If the lower levels of the buildings are still somehow normally folded, then the upper ones are assembled from a mixture of shit and straw. But even this mixture stands for centuries, washed by downpours, as it is now!

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But, I'm not discouraged, I need a cool masonry. And, now, something interesting. One terrace is made of untreated cobblestone in mortar, and the floor above is good.

// al-31f.livejournal.com

The Inca civilization developed in exactly the same way as modern Moscow civilization. Here, for example, at first architects were engaged in construction, and when everything broke down, guest workers repaired it. Not bad.

// al-31f.livejournal.com

And here is the coolest part. Some houses are made of perfectly processed and fitted stones. This is the kind of masonry they tell us on TV, here they poke knives, showing the skill of the builders.

// al-31f.livejournal.com

The rain intensifies, the clay paths become very slippery, the cliffs are more and more dangerous, we slowly return to the bus. In addition to houses, the Incas also built steep stone water pipes. "Pipes", starting somewhere in the river, are hidden in the ground and come to the surface in the form of fountains, washstands. In the photo in front of them, grass is trampled on the terrace.

// al-31f.livejournal.com

Here are such things. In the bath there is a hole where the water goes, again somewhere underground.

// al-31f.livejournal.com

We didn't have time to see a lot of things here, so we moved on. We stopped for lunch in Urubamba. Hello civilization. Expensive disgusting food, garbage, in general - modern Peru.

• Location: Peruvian Andes, Cusco
• Main attractions: Machu Picchu, Pisac, Olntaytambo, Cusco

The variety of historical monuments and the secrets of ancient civilizations - these two factors primarily attract tourists to. Despite such a flow of travelers, this country still retained its level of development at the stage when, if desired, you can meet real Indians in the markets, the local color sometimes captures and surprises, and the ancient ruins are still carefully preserved, and no one demanded to allocate this area for development with modern skyscrapers. With a relatively underdeveloped economy, this country is a real paradise for tourists. Well, a very special and probably the most significant place in the Sacred Valley of the Incas is the Urubamba Valley.

Cradle of ancient civilization

Perhaps one of the keys to unraveling the mystery of the ancient Incas is the Urubamba River. Like Egypt and the Nile River, the valley along Urubamba was characterized by rich fertility and good climate, while all other regions of Peru experienced a debilitating drought. This fact allowed the Inca civilization to concentrate its forces and capabilities not only on agriculture and food production, but also to devote part of the time to the conquest of adjacent territories, as well as the study of the surrounding world. Tellingly, even in agriculture, the Incas stepped forward - it is believed that it was in the valley of the Urubamba River that they first began to grow potatoes.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is located in the Andes, between and along the Urubamba River. It covers and includes all significant monuments of ancient civilization. Salt and agricultural terraces, picturesque towns, majestic temples, fortresses and ceremonial complexes can all be found in Peru's Urubamba Valley. Each captured landscape, each frame taken in this area, seems to be like a postcard - it is so colorful and picturesque here.

Attractions of the Sacred Valley of the Incas

1. Machu Picchu. Probably even the most notorious homebody, who does not want to expand his knowledge of the outside world, at least once heard about this city. This is the main attraction not only of the valley, but of the whole country. The ancient city is located on a rock in such a way that it is almost invisible at the foot of the mountain. Its construction dates back to the 15th century. Today Machu Picchu is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
2. . This is a whole archaeological complex, which is one of the most important monuments of ancient civilization in the entire Urubamba Valley. Initially, it was conceived as a fortress, but over time it became a ceremonial center. Among other things, Pisak is famous for its astronomical observatory.
3. . This city is the best preserved to our times. Some of the buildings have even been converted into modern housing. But the main highlight, and at the same time the mystery of this place, is the Temple of the Sun, the wall of which is made up of huge monolithic blocks. Ollantaytambo was once an important religious, administrative, military and agricultural center of the Inca Empire.
4. . The ancient capital of the Incas and one of the richest cities of ancient civilization. Before the conquest by the conquistadors, the city was full of luxury, and the Temple of the Sun was trimmed with pure gold. Today it is the second most popular city in Peru after.
5. Moray. This place is an archaeological complex, among which unique agricultural terraces stand out. They have a circular shape, gradually narrowing from level to level. There is an assumption that Morai served as a kind of laboratory for the Incas, in which they observed the growth of various varieties of certain crops.
6. Maras. These are also terraces, but already. Having equipped a unique water supply system, water from the bowels of the earth fell into many grooves, where it dried up, leaving salt crystals. Tellingly, salt is mined here in our time.
7. Chinchero. Once here was the main residence of the Inca Tupac Manco Yupanqui. However, after the conquest of these lands by the Spaniards, everything was redrawn in a Catholic fashion, and a Catholic cross was erected over the Temple of the Sun. However, it is still an interesting and colorful place. Among other things, Chinchero is famous for its fair, where many handicrafts are sold.
8. . These are kind of trails designed for hiking. Basically, the name "Inca Trail" is associated with such a path near Machu Picchu, but it is fundamentally wrong to think that this building is here in a single copy. Such trails can be found in different parts of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
9. City of Urumamba. This small town attracts those who want to touch the ancient mystery, but do not tolerate climbs and heights, because it is located in a lowland. In addition, here is the residence of the Supreme Inca Huayna-Capac, for the construction of which it was necessary to change the course of the Urubamba River.
10. . This amazing place is associated in some way with the resort. A whole water complex is equipped here, which includes baths, various canals and aqueducts. By the way, water flows here even today.
11. Pikiyakta and Rumikolka. These are two different structures, but their essence is the same. The ancient city of Piquiyacta was a kind of checkpoint, and the ancient Inca gate Rumikolka only emphasizes its customs purpose.

How to get there?

You can start your journey through the Urubamba Valley from the city of Cusco. The most comfortable way to get here is by air, landing at the local airport. From the city regularly walks