Sacred Valley Ruins II: Maras

Maras is a small pueblo that really does not attract tourists on its own.  You have to go through it to get to Moray or Las Salineras…which is what brought us to the cute town.  When we arrived, we hooked up with a taxi driver who was actually from Maras and very proud of his little town.  So, he showed us some of the things we might not have seen otherwise about this cute place – definitely worth driving through!

This is not just a Maras thing…it is very typical to see people carrying HUGE sacks on their backs all throughout the country (or at least what we’ve seen of it).
Several of the houses in Maras had crosses above their doors. This one was my favorite.
The taxi driver told us that back in the day of the Incas, the people in Maras would make elaborate entry ways into their homes. Thus, Maras got the nickname “City of the Archway”…or something like that…it is hard to find any info on Maras that doesn’t relate to its proximity to Moray or Las Salineras.  But from what I remember, that is what he told us.

Our taxi driver then took us off the beaten path to some recently discovered ruins on the outskirts of Maras. The views were incredible!
We were traveling with our friend, Priya, who was a resident from San Francisco doing a rotation here in Cuzco for a month.
A fellow traveler bravely approaching a grazing bull.
I was not quite as brave…but still got pretty close.

Again, some USF spirit!



The lady you saw in the above photos is actually the owner of the bulls. She found it quite humorous that we were trying to take photos with them. The way she is carrying this child is very typical here in Peru. Check back on Foto Friday for my favorite of the two of them!

Our view as we left Maras and started our hike through the valley to the Salineras (Salt Ponds).

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