The Sacred Valley of the Incas in the Andes - the valley of the Urubamba River - is the birthplace of the Inca civilization. Due to its favorable location, this valley was distinguished by its fertility and good climate even at a time when other regions of present-day Peru were suffering from years of drought. Researchers believe that it was the ease with which the valley provided its population with food that allowed the Inca tribe in the 11th century to free some people from agriculture, begin to conquer nearby territories and create the Great Empire of Tawantinsuyu (in the Quechua language Tawantin Suyu, Tawantinsuyu, Tawantinsuyu, Tawantinsuyu, means "four cardinal points connected together").

Attractions of the Sacred Valley

Pisak (Pisac, Pisaq)

The archaeological complex of Pisak is one of the most important in the Valley. It is located 33 kilometers from Cusco on the Vilcabamba ridge. According to the architectural tradition of the Incas, cities were built in the form of a sacred animal or bird - the outlines of Pisac resemble a partridge. Pisak consists of two parts: the city itself and the temple and agricultural terraces. This city is also famous for its astronomical observatory. In the rock near the city, the Incas buried their dead - mummies were found here sitting in the fetal position (in this position the dead were placed to be born in another life).

In addition to the part of the city, preserved from the Incas and located high on the mountain, there is a colonial part of Pisac. This is a city built by the Spaniards in the valley of the Vilcanota River (which is known in the lower reaches as Urubamba). It was built as a reservation where the conquerors settled the Indians so that it would be more convenient to control them and convert them to Christianity.

Ollantaytambo

This city is located 90 kilometers from Cusco. Inca Pachacutec conquered this settlement, destroyed the old buildings and built new houses and a ceremonial center. The city is on the way to the jungle and from here the leader of the Inca resistance, Manco Inca Yupanqui, retreated with his treasures and mummies of his ancestors to the legendary city of Vilcabamba (which was never found).

Ollantaytambo is significant in that it is one of the very few cities from the time of the Incas, which is still inhabited. Part of the buildings in the modern city dates from the end of the 15th century. The layout of the city and the organization of life are also interesting: the main part of the city had a trapezoidal layout with four longitudinal streets that crossed seven shorter parallel streets.

All the buildings in the southern half of the city were a kind of hostels: four one-room "apartments", connected by a common patio (courtyard). Several families lived here. The city still has a water supply system built under Pachacutec.

Terraces for agriculture are located near the city, and granaries were located on the slopes of the mountains around Ollantaytambo, which can still be seen today. They were built at high altitude, where, thanks to strong winds and lower temperatures, food and grain were better preserved and protected from decay.

Chinchero (Chinchero)

In this city during the Inca Empire was the royal residence of Tupac Inca Yupanqui. Now Chinchero is interesting to visit to look at the most interesting colonial temple, built right on top of the walls of the Inca Temple of the Sun. This Catholic temple is an amazing symbiosis of Spanish colonial and Inca culture. Inside, it is covered with paintings of classical Christian subjects, which, meanwhile, reflect the culture and religion of the Incas. Outside the temple, on a stepped pedestal, symbolizing Pachamama (Mother Earth), stands a Christian cross with Inca symbols. On the square next to the temple there is a market with a large selection of handicrafts.

Maras

The terraced pools of the Maras salt mines have served and continue to serve for the extraction of salt. The water here contains a large number of minerals and releases salt when evaporated. Pools filled with water are left to evaporate and then refilled time after time to get enough salt.

Moray

This is an amazingly beautiful complex of terraces for agriculture, built in the form of expanding rings, similar to an amphitheatre. The complex is located at an altitude of 3500 meters above sea level.

Each level of the terraces has its own microclimate: different temperature, wind strength. The difference between two adjacent levels of terraces is approximately 1000 meters under normal farming conditions. Here you can find up to 20 different types of microclimate. It is believed that during the time of the Incas, agricultural research was carried out here: it turned out how different types plants and crops behave at different heights. The best seeds and tubers were sent to regions with the most favorable climate for them. Thus, the Incas managed to increase productivity.

Urubamba (Urubamba)

On the outskirts of the city of Urubamba was located country residence High Inca Huayna-Capac. Here is a special microclimate - warm and sunny, very different from the microclimate of Cusco. In order to build the Quispiguanca residence and clear space for corn, cotton, peanuts and chili peppers, workers had to move the Urubamba River to the southern part of the valley, drain the swamps and level the hills to the ground. The size of the residence is so huge that even when Huayna-Capac and his guests wanted to hunt, they did not need to leave the territory!

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu (in Quechua machu pikchu means “Old Mountain”) is a mysterious Inca city built in the middle of the 15th century. It is located about 100 km from the capital of the Inca Empire, the city of Cusco, and is so secluded in the Andes that the Spanish colonialists could not reach it. We became aware of this city in 1911 thanks to the American scientist from Yale Hiram Bingham. Although in fairness it should be noted that the locals always knew about Machu Picchu, but were in no hurry to share information with strangers.

Since 1983, Machu Picchu has been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and since 2007 - in the list of New Wonders of the World.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is an area that stretches along the river Urubamba, roughly starting from and to the city Urkos, and in the south the valley ends with the capital of the Inca empire - the city. In the photo-panorama below - a view of the Sacred Valley of the Incas from the fortress Pisak. The Urubamba River flows below, and the road to Cusco went up in a serpentine.

Due to the favorable location of the land, the valleys were surprisingly fertile, which allowed the Incas to exist quite comfortably, and eventually begin to create their empire, conquering the surrounding lands.

The Inca Valley includes a lot of attractions.

Machu Picchu is the number 1 attraction not only of the Inca Valley, but of all of Peru, and perhaps of all South America. Machu Picchu is located on a mountain and is not visible from below. The Incas deliberately built the city so high that no enemy could find it. However, over time, residents left the city for reasons that are still not clear. The city is perfectly preserved, as well as the sights near it - Huaynu Picchu, the Inca Bridge, and others. About the "city lost in the sky" read our separate story.

Ollantaytambo is one of the best preserved Inca cities. The city is surrounded by a fortress, one of the largest in Peru. It is interesting to wander through the different levels of ancient buildings. Amazing polygonal masonry and perfectly turned huge monoliths are the calling card of the fortress. And getting into the city, you feel that you are in antiquity. Most of the houses have been preserved, and spring water runs through the gutters, as before. About Ollantaytambo detailed information on our separate page.

Pisak is a city on the Urubamba River, and on the mountain above the city lies the vast archaeological complex of the Pisak fortress. Here you can see all the elements of the life of the ancient Incas: agricultural terraces in large numbers, and military fortifications, and residential buildings, and religious shrines. And from the ledges of the fortress there is an excellent view of the valley of the Urubamba River, or the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Read our separate story about Pisak Fortress.

Cusco is the ancient capital of the Inca Empire. Cuzco was once founded by the great Manco Capac. Cusco was full of luxury, and the temple of the Sun Coricancha was completely covered with gold. But the conquistadors who came destroyed many temples and built their own on their foundations. However, the charm of the ancient city has survived to this day. Cultures have mixed and this has made Cusco a completely unique city, the second most visited in Peru after Lima. Read our separate story about Cusco.

Moray is an archaeological site in the Inca Valley. It consists of circular terraces, gradually descending deeper and deeper from level to level, until one small round island remains. Scholars believe that Morai served as an agricultural laboratory for the Incas. Planting different varieties of corn, maize and other crops at different levels, the Incas watched their growth. At different levels was different temperature. In this way, the most successful plants were selected by selection, and their seeds were distributed throughout the empire.

Maras are terraces where salt was mined. The extraction method is quite simple. Salt water flowing from the bowels of the earth spread through a system of numerous gutters over flat areas - pools, where, due to the large surface area, the water dried up, and the salt crystallized at the bottom. When enough salt was collected, the water was directed to other terraces, and the salt was collected. They do the same to this day. See our photo gallery.

Inca trail

The Inca Trail is the name given to the path that people take on foot to Machu Picchu. However, the Incas built at one time a whole network of such roads, spread throughout Peru. Since the Incas did not invent the wheel, all trails were for walking, so there are many steps on the trails. When the Spaniards arrived, the Incas were amazed at the horses they saw for the first time, which climbed beautifully along the paths, bringing destruction to the empire. Read on our website about trekking along the Inca trails.

Saxahuiman Fortress is located on a mountain above Cusco and is a complex of zigzag fortress walls. Once it was a full-fledged fortress, the last stronghold of the Incas who fought against the Spaniards. The huge monoliths of which the fortress walls are made are striking. Read more about the fortress on the Cusco page.

Puca Pucara is another fortress located near Cusco. The name translates as "Red Fortress. Along with Saksawayman, Puka Pucara is part of the defensive structures ancient capital Inca Cusco. From the top of the mountain opens good review to the valley. The fortress is located near the Tambomachay water complex.

Tambomachai is a unique structure located near Cusco, on the road to Pisac. Dostovno Tambomachai is translated from Quechua as "resort". This water complex with baths, water jets, various aqueducts and canals. Water flows everywhere to this day. Not far away were the specially irrigated gardens of the Supreme Inca.

Kenko is an architectural landmark located next to Sacksawyman, on the road to Pisac. This is a rather strange structure of the Incas, presumably temple complex. A group of stones, from small to huge monoliths, all of interesting configurations, with cutouts and protrusions of various shapes. In many ways, it is unlike other structures of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Inca Tupac Manco Yupanqui had his residence in Chinchero. Here was built the temple of the Sun and the pedestal of Pachamama. The conquistadors, as in many places, remade the holy places in a Catholic way. On the site of the Temple of the Sun is now a Catholic church, and on the site of Pachamama - a Christian cross. Of course, in the buildings there is a mixture of Christianity and Inca beliefs, which is why this complex is of interest. Chinchero also hosts a major fair. At this time, a large number of handicraft goods are sold here at low prices, so it is highly recommended for visiting by tkrists.

Pikiyakta and Rumikolka

In the southwest of Cusco are the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Piquiyacta, and very close to them - Rumikolka, the ancient Inca gate. It looks like a customs gate that protected the entrance to the Inca Empire.

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Dear friends, team site again presents an overview another game location World of Tanks. Today we will analyze a rather complex and ambiguous map - Sacred Valley wot.

General information.

Picture 1. Minimap.

The map wot Sacred Valley was introduced into the game in version 0.8.6 and after that it was constantly under special control of the developers. She underwent several major changes, was removed from the game for a long time, and now, not so long ago, she reappeared in a random house in a new guise. The map has a standard size of 1000*1000 meters, available for battles of 4 - 11 levels in the only random battle mode - standard battle. This is a winter map and the winter camouflage will be used here.

The terrain of the map is one of the most difficult in the game. This is due to the fact that there is practically no flat place on the Sacred Valley: constant elevation changes, mounds, rocks, as well as various buildings (both destructible and non-destructible). In addition, it is worth noting that artillery has a very difficult time here, since there are very few shots, and a stray firefly is able to slip through to the positions of the self-propelled guns already at the beginning of the battle.

Look at the key components of the Sacred Valley map:

Picture 2. Symbols.

If you look closely at the map, you will see how many key components are stuffed here, but I will try to explain them to you as simply as possible in order not to load your virgin brain. Understanding the map in our game is an extremely important and decisive skill for any player.

1. Bottom base. It is on the rise, relative to the rest of the map, but has several races at once. Along the perimeter it is surrounded by several mounds with dense vegetation, where tank destroyers often find use. However, these positions acquire a special role only during the breakthrough of the right flank or center. At the base itself there are a couple of destructible houses, which, nevertheless, are able to cover the tanks in capturing the base. In addition, in the Sacred Valley, artillerymen do not have any other positions and are almost always behind the base.
2. Gorge or left flank. Map Sacred Valley wot has two main, but very large and extended flanks. The gorge is one of them and its main part is the center of the gorge, highlighted in a circle. There are a huge number of passages, races and shelters (including from artillery, which practically does not shoot through here). The relief of the gorge is endlessly stretching, low rocks. The top respawn team has an advantage here, but only due to the fact that most random players do not understand one simple nuance, which we will discuss below. Basically, the team that wins here is the one that takes as many passages as possible, which will disperse the attention of opponents and fire from unexpected places. Absolutely all classes of equipment can find application in the gorge.
3. Center of the map. Located on a lower level than the rest of the map, on a level with low number 6. Characterized by many mounds, buildings (mostly destructible) and almost no successful tactics for the game, since both main flanks are separated from center with various obstacles. Can be used towards the end of the fight as it is the closest path between two respawns. However, in the center of this part of the map there is a high rock from which you can play, but not always successfully. However, the presence of at least one tank here will protect your team from a light tank breaking through to your artillery.
4. Upper base. It is located on uneven hilly terrain with a lot of destructible buildings. Defeating this base is easier than the bottom one due to being in line of sight from the team's main hideouts. Artillery here is also located, as a rule, behind the base, behind a hill that completely hides them.
5. Central rock. From the lower part, it is closed by stone walls, but it has no entrances and driveways anywhere. It does not represent any gameplay value, except for the ability to hide from artillery at the foot of high cliff, in case of emergency. However, some inquisitive minds have found options for driving it on certain tanks, but you don’t need to know about it, and you don’t need to.

   Further points 6, 7, 8, 9- these are elements of different meanings and we will analyze them separately, but all of them, together, form a single right flank. The second main and no less huge flank on this map consists of several elements and provides many gaming opportunities. The main part of the right flank is a temple highlighted in a green circle.

6. Lowland. An extended part of the right flank, practically from base to base. It is the lowest place on the map. In rare cases, it is possible to support an attack on the right flank through the lowland, but it is not the main direction.
7. Climb. Here is a convenient position for highlighting passing enemies from both spawns. Strongly turret tanks with excellent vertical aiming angles can successfully fight here. From this ascent, it is possible to drive to the bridge (under the number 8), which leads to the main direction - the temple (under the number 9).
8. Bridge. It does not have any gameplay function, except for one very important one - a through passage between the rise and the temple. However, it should be remembered that the bridge is shot through by both artillery and any other tanks, which means that it is necessary to use the bridge with particular care.
9. Temple. It is the most important part of the right flank and its center circled. This is where the second crowd of your team should be concentrated. The temple is located on a hill, relative to the lowland and you have to go uphill here. As a rule, fast and maneuverable tanks are fighting here, which are able to drive up the hill without losing hit points along the way. There are several large buildings in the temple area, most of which are not destroyed. Behind these buildings, you can hide from the gaze of the all-seeing gunners and exchange fire with the enemy.

So, how to play the Sacred Valley wot map? Let's try to figure it out.

Picture 3. Positions and directions.

Unfortunately, a single tactic on the map Sacred Valley is missing and you will have to act with an eye on the allies, but keeping in mind a few nuances that will help you win.

As you can see, there are a lot of possible or probable options for fighting in the Sacred Valley. The map is saturated with tricky passages and unexpected places to attack. This greatly complicates the understanding of the map for inexperienced players, and therefore I will conditionally divide all options for attacking into three parts:

1. Red direction. The most difficult and confusing direction is on the left flank. There are an incredible number of narrow passages between the rocks and in almost all passages you can play. The main purpose of commands here is central part, for the control of which it is still necessary to capture all the passages leading there in order to avoid being stabbed in the back. The top respawn team has some relative advantage: the fact is that they don't have to think about where to go, everything is intuitive, but the bottom respawn team must control the area marked with an exclamation mark on a yellow background! It is very important. If the bottom team does not control this area, then the tanks in the center of the gorge will simply go into the stern and shoot from both sides. Thus, the bottom team needs to turn on the brain a bit in order to create a balance on this flank. In fact, everything is simple, but in a random house, players often do not see this and merge the gorge.

   The top respawn team moves along the left flank along the points, which also serve as defense lines in parallel. Fast tanks move out of the direction and go around the gorge from the rear. The bottom spawn team is heading into the gorge following the arrows, and positions 1 and 2 serve as defensive lines. Mandatory is the control of the area with an exclamation mark, as I wrote above.

2. Blue direction. A completely optional direction that you can throw. In any case, it is impossible to develop a successful attack from here. One or two tanks should drive here, nestling under a rock marked with the number 0 on a blue background. From here, no successful shots open, but you can catch enemy fireflies here. In addition, the allied fireflies, having guessed the right moment, can slip through to the artillery positions here.
3. yellow direction. Here everything is somewhat simpler than with the gorge. Fast, heavily turreted tanks can take up positions on the rise, from which they can illuminate and shoot through passing enemies. Attention, you should not try to go here with more than two tanks, you simply won't fit! It does not make sense to drive along the lowland under the bridge, since there are no shelters here and you will be in full view of the opponents. The greater part of your group, which has arrived on the right flank, must rise to the Temple and fight here. Again, many random players mistakenly believe that the top respawn team has an advantage here, which is fundamentally not true. On the right flank, both teams have the same capabilities and the advantage is only due to a larger number of tanks or personal skill.

In addition, certain standard positions for artillery (brown areas near base) and tank destroyer(purple areas from which it is convenient only to defend, but not to support the attack).

In custody.

On this, our review of a very ambiguous and difficult map came to an end, and the main thing that can be distinguished is a slight imbalance in the balance in favor of the upper respawn. There is nothing critical in this, however, it is not pleasant. Let's wait and hope that sooner or later the developers will pay attention to this.

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, in addition to the foundation, from ancient temple nothing left. 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, larger 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

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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. Because of high level Humidity valley boasts fertile land with beautiful flora.

Here you can walk for a long time admiring the incredible landscapes: high mountains, green fields, steep rivers and ancient Inca structures 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 most Big 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 huge complex round 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, beckoning 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