Photos of my trip to the Sacred Valley in Peru on December 2009.

1. My Trip to The Sacred Valley Peru December2009

2. Map of Peru

3. Sacred Valley MapWe followed this route to get to Machu Picchu

4. Plaza de Armas CuscoCenter of Town

5. View of Cusco From Sacsayhuaman Cusco is situated at almost 12, 000 ft. above sea level. It takes you several days to get used the difference in altitude. It is recommended you eat light, go to sleep early and drink lots of liquids for the first couple of days. I never got quite used to it.

6. Torito De PucuraGood Luck Statues in Homes These small statues of two bulls are placed in the roof of many homes in Cusco. They are meant as a sign of good fortune and health. I found them so cute I bought a pair for my own home.

7. Cathedral Santa DomingoNamed after Dominican Monks that settled in Cusco.

8. Sacsayhuaman Inca RemainsOutside of Cusco

9. Sacsayhuaman

10. Pisaq

11. Pisaq Inca Trails Pisaq is built in the mountains with lots of connecting trails. This particular day we did a lot of hiking. It even rained while we were there. The hike gives you spectacular views of the Andes.

12. Pisaq Village

13. OllantaytamboTerracing

14. Ollantaytambo Can you see the profile of the old man in the rock? This is the view from across the way in the terraces.

15. Andes at Dawn This is the view of the Andes from our hotel room near Machu Picchu. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

16. Andes at Dawn

17. Farming/TerracingInca Empire Lasting Legacy

18. Machu Picchu Built by Pachacuti

19. What a view…

20. Finally Made it Here!! It had been my dream for over 20 years to go see this wondrous place. It was well worth the wait. It is truly a sight to see. Early in the morning it was a bit cloudy but it cleared up in the afternoon.

21. Temple of Sun God The Incas worshipped many Gods but the Sun God was the most revered. The Incas were big into agriculture, so they used this temple to let them know the start of the summer solstice in Dec 21.

22. Terracing

23. Residences

24. Building Methods The Incas did not use any mortar in their buildings. Instead, they cut their stones to such precise dimensions that they fit together perfectly. Larger stones were used in public and religious buildings. Each site was built to fit within the environment and natural resources around it.

25. Construction Methods

26. Moray Each level of the terraces was thought to have been used by the Incas to discover the optimal conditions for their crops.

27. Moray from Below Yes that is me with my tour guide down in the belly of Moray terraces. It was easier going down than going up. Again it started to rain on the climb up. However, it was a spectacular view.

28. Moray In Use Today

29. Chinchero Foundation of Church Built on Inca Remains

30. Chinchero Terracing

31. Traditional Dress of Cusco These little girls wondered all over Cusco selling photos of themselves with the tourist. They were so insistent that I could not refuse. Good way to end my trip.