Over the mountain from Cusco, in the Sacred Valley, Pisaq is a small pleasant town with some impressive Inca ruins.

Pisaq street to the main square, note the water channel down the middle

Franco in his rather beautiful Quechuan hat, purchased on the way to the market

Researchers believe that Písaq defended the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley and controlled a route which connected the Inca Empire with the Amazon jungle.

The entrance from town

The path zig zagged up the impressive terraces

A steep ravine with Kath on a lower terrace

Looking down on the Sacred Valley

The fort - looking over the sheer rampart made us dizzy

The old Pisaq village, made with stone and adobe

Looking down onto the old Pisaq village from structures higher up

Main temple complex

Inca residential quarters

Higher up the slope we reached the Temple of the Sun, this was probably the most sacred part of the site.

The Temple of the Sun - we were curious about the different quality of stonework

Water fountain - water was an important element for the Incas

Inti Watana (Sundial calendar) - the nob on the left, it was carved out of a volcanic outcrop 

The path ahead looked in good condition but for some reason it was taped off. The guard at the entrance had told us that we could walk all the way to the top, so we stepped over the tape.

Franco on the path to the top

The extensive terracing below the Inca residential quarters

Franco approaching the tunnel

The cave that leads to the upper temple

The upper temple complex

Franco and Kath in a fine stone arch

The (very) old map we had of the site showed a route back to Pisaq through a ravine. When we got to the entrance, the path was clearly no longer in use. We carried on anyway.

The unofficial way down

Ravine fortifications

Scrambling down hanging onto lianas

Rejoining the main path

Main square with the market

Pisaq was as good as Machu Picchu but without the crowds.