Sacred Valley - Wikipedia Sacred Valley This article is about the Peruvian valley. For the valley in central Italy, see Rieti Valley. Sacred Valley Sacred Valley of the Incas Shown within Peru Alternate name Urubamba Valley Location Cuzco Region, Peru Coordinates 13 ° 20 ′ 00 '' S 72 ° 05 ′ 00 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 13.33333 ° S 72.08333 ° W ﻿ / - 13.33333 ; - 72.08333 Coordinates : 13 ° 20 ′ 00 '' S 72 ° 05 ′ 00 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 13.33333 ° S 72.08333 ° W ﻿ / - 13.33333 ; - 72.08333 Type valley History Cultures Inca Site notes Condition In ruins The mountain Veronica looms over the Sacred Valley. Sacred Valley of the Incas The Sacred Valley of the Incas ( Spanish : Valle Sagrado de los Incas ; Quechua : Willka Qhichwa ) or the Urubamba Valley is a valley in the Andes of Peru, 20 kilometres ( 12 mi ) at its closest north of the Inca capital of Cusco. It is located in the present - day Peruvian region of Cusco. In colonial documents it was referred to as the `` Valley of Yucay. '' The Sacred Valley was incorporated slowly into the incipient Inca Empire during the period from 1000 to 1400 CE. The scenic and historical Sacred Valley is a major tourist destination. In 2013, 1.2 million people, 800,000 of them non-Peruvians, are estimated to have visited Machu Picchu, its most famous archaeological site. Many of the same tourists also visited other archaeological sites and modern towns in the Sacred Valley. Machu Picchu Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 See also 4 References Geography Inca ruin and andenes ( agricultural terraces ) at Pisac. The valley, running generally west to east, is understood to include everything along the Urubamba River between the town and Inca ruins at Písac westward to Machu Piccu, 100 kilometres ( 62 mi ) distant. The Sacred Valley has elevations above sea level along the river ranging from 3,000 metres ( 9,800 ft ) at Pisac to 2,050 metres ( 6,730 ft ) at the Urubamba River below the citadel of Macchu Piccu. On both sides of the river, the mountains rise to much higher elevations, especially to the south where two prominent mountains overlook the valley : Sahuasiray, 5,818 metres ( 19,088 ft ) and Veronica, 5,893 metres ( 19,334 ft ) in elevation. The intensely cultivated valley floor is about 1 kilometre ( 0.62 mi ) wide on average. Side valleys and agricultural terraces ( andenes ) expand the cultivatable area. The valley was formed by the Urubamba river, also known as the Vilcanota River, Willkanuta River ( Aymara, `` house of the sun '' ) or Willkamayu ( Quechua ). The latter, in Quechua, the still spoken lingua franca of the Inca Empire, means the sacred river. It is fed by numerous tributaries which descend through adjoining valleys and gorges, and contains numerous archaeological remains and villages. The Sacred Valley was the most important area for maize production in the heartland of the Inca Empire and access through the valley to tropical areas facilitated the import of products such as coca leaf and chile peppers to Cuzco. The climate of Urubamba is typical of the valley. Precipitation, concentrated in the months of October through April, totals 527 millimetres ( 20.7 in ) annually and monthly average temperatures range between 15.4 ° C ( 59.7 ° F ) in November, the warmest month, to 12.2 ° C ( 54.0 ° F ) in July, the coldest month. The Incas built extensive irrigation works throughout the valley to counter deficiencies and seasonality in precipitation. History The early Incas lived in the Cuzco area. By conquest or diplomacy, during the period 1000 to 1400 CE, the Inca achieved administrative control over the various ethnic groups living in or near the Sacred Valley. The attraction of the Sacred Valley to the Inca, in addition to its proximity to Cuzco, was probably that it was lower in elevation and therefore warmer than any other nearby area. The lower elevation permitted maize to be grown in the Sacred Valley. Maize was a prestige crop for the Incas, especially to make chicha, a fermented maize drink the Incas and their subjects consumed in large quantities at their many ceremonial feasts and religious festivals. Large scale maize production in the Sacred Valley was apparently facilitated by varieties bred in nearby Moray, either a governmental crop laboratory or a seedling nursery of the Incas. The Inca customarily divided conquered lands into three more - or-less equal parts. One part was for the emperor ( the Sapa Inca ), one part for the religious establishment, and one part for the communities of farmers themselves. In the 1400s, the Sacred Valley became an area of royal estates and country homes. Once a royal estate was created by an emperor it continued to be owned by descendants of the emperor after his death. The estate of the emperor Yawar Waqaq ( ca. 1380 CE ) was located at Paullu and Lamay ( a few kilometers downstream from Pisac ) ; Huchuy Qosqo, the estate of the emperor Viracocha Inca ( c. 1410 - 1438 ), overlooks the Sacred Valley ; the estate of Pachacuti ( 1438 - 1471 CE ) was at Pisac ; and the sparse ruins of Quispiguanca. the estate of the emperor Huayna Capac ( 1493 - 1527 CE ), are in the town of Urubamba. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for Pachacuti. Agricultural terraces, called andenes, were built up hillsides flanking the valley floor and are today the most visible and widespread signs of the Inca civilization in the Sacred Valley. In 1537, the Inca Emperor Manco Inca Yupanqui fought and won the Battle of Ollantaytambo against a Spanish army headed by Hernando Pizarro. Nevertheless, Manco soon withdrew from the Sacred Valley and the area came under the control of the Spanish colonialists. See also PeruRail Sallqaqucha Wallata Warak'ay References Jump up ^ Bauer, Brian S. ; Covey, R. Alan ( 2002 ). `` Processes of State Formation in the Inca Heartland ( Cuzco, Peru ) ''. American Anthropologist. 104 ( 3 ) : 846 -- 64. doi : 10.1525 / aa. 2002.104. 3.846. Jump up ^ D'Altroy, Terence N. ( 2003 ). The Incas, Malden, MA : Blackwell Publishing, p. 127 Jump up ^ Google Earth. Another definition of the area of the Sacred Valley is that it is between Pisaq and Ollantaytambo, a distance of about 60 kilometres ( 37 mi ). Jump up ^ Covey, R. Alan ( 2009 ), How the Incas built their Heartland, Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, pp 43 - 44 Jump up ^ Climate : Urubamba, https://en.climate-data.org/location/44993/, accessed 24 Dec 2016 Jump up ^ D'Altroy, pp. 127 - 140 Jump up ^ Alan Covey, R ( 2003 ). `` A processual study of Inka state formation ''. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 22 ( 4 ) : 333 -- 57. doi : 10.1016 / S0278 - 4165 ( 03 ) 00030 - 8. Jump up ^ Bauer and Covey, p. 846 Jump up ^ D'Altroy, p. 189 Jump up ^ Earls, John ( nd ), `` The Character of Inca and Andean Agriculture, '' pp. 18 - 19. http://macareo.pucp.edu.pe/~jearls/documentosPDF/theCharacter.PDF, accessed 20 dec 2016 Jump up ^ Plachetka, Uwe Christian ; Pietsch, Stephan A. ( 2009 ). `` El centro vaviloviano en el Perú : un conjunto socio - ecológico frente a riesgos extremos '' ( The center Vavilov year in Peru : a socio - ecological set against extreme risks ) ( PDF ). Tikpa Pachapaq ( in Spanish ). 1 ( 1 ) : 9 -- 16. Jump up ^ McEwan, pp 87 - 88 Jump up ^ Covey, R. Alan ( 2009 ), How the Incas built their Heartland, Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, p. 217 ; Niles, Susan A. ( 1999 ), The Shape of Inca History, Iowas City : University of Iowa Press, pp. 133 - 153. Downloaded from Project Muse. Jump up ^ Rowe, John ( 1990 ). `` Machu Picchu a la luz de documentos de siglo XVI. Historia, 16 ( 1 ), pp. 139 -- 154 Jump up ^ Guillet, David and others ( 1987 ), `` Terracing and Irrigation in the Peruvian Highlands, '' Current Anthropology, Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 409 - 410. Downloaded from JSTOR. Jump up ^ Hemming, John ( 1970 ), The Conquest of the Incas, New York : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, pp 213 - 232. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sacred Valley. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sacred Valley of the Incas. Archaeological sites in Peru Acaray Ahuila Gencha Machay Amaru Marka Wasi Arhuaturo Asana Asiru Phat'jata Aspero Awkin Punta Awkillu Waqra Awkimarka ( Apurímac ) Awkimarka ( Huánuco ) Awqa Punta Aya Muqu Ayamachay Ayawayq'u Azángaro Baths of Boza Bandurria Buena Vista Cahuachi Cajamarquilla Cao Viejo Carajía Caral Caves of Sumbay Cerro Baúl Cerro Pátapo Cerro Trinidad Chacamarca Chan Chan Chanquillo Chauchilla Cemetery Chavín de Huantar Chawaytiri Cheqollo Chichakuri Chipaw Marka Choquepuquio Choquequirao Choquequirao Puquio Churajón Chuya Cochabamba Colcampata Condorcaga Cota Coca Coricancha Cumbemayo Cutimbo El Brujo El Cañoncillo El Ingenio El Paraíso Garagay Gran Pajatén Gran Vilaya Guitarrero Cave Hatun Mach'ay Hatun Misapata Hatun Rumiyoc Hatun Uchku Hatun Usnu Hatunmarka Honcopampa Huaca de la Luna Huaca del Dragón Huaca del Sol Huaca Huallamarca Huaca Prieta Huaca Pucllana Huaca San Marcos Huaca Santa Ana Huacramarca Huamanmarca, La Convención Huamboy Huánuco Pampa Huari Huayna Picchu Huayrapongo Huchuy Qosqo Huiñao Incahuasi, Lima Ingatambo Inka Mach'ay Inka Raqay, Apurímac Inka Raqay, Ayacucho Inka Tampu, Huayopata Inka Tampu, Vilcabamba Inka Tunuwiri Inka Uyu Inka Wasi, Ayacucho Inka Wasi, Huancavelica Inkapintay Inkilltambo Inti Punku Inti Watana, Ayacucho Inti Watana, Calca Inti Watana, Urubamba Intikancha Intini Uyu Pata Intipa Ñawin Intiyuq K'uchu Iskuqucha Isog Jinkiori Jisk'a Iru Muqu Kanamarka Kanichi Kenko Killa Mach'ay Killa Rumi Killarumiyuq Kiswar Kotosh Kuelap Kukuli Kuntur Wasi Kunturmarka, Ayacucho Kunturmarka, Pasco Kuntuyuq Kusichaka valley Khichuqaqa Khuchi Mach'ay K'allapayuq Urqu K'ipakhara Laguna de las Momias Lauricocha Caves Layzón Llamachayuq Llamachayuq Qaqa Llamayuq Llamuqa Llaqta Qulluy, Acoria Llaqta Qulluy, Conayca Llaqta Qulluy, Tayacaja Llaqta Qulluy, Vilca Llaqtan Llaqtapata Machu Picchu Machu Pirqa Machu Pitumarka Machu Q'inti Machu Qullqa Mallkuamaya Mameria Maray Qalla Marayniyuq Marcahuamachuco Markahirka Markansaya Markapukyu Marpa Mawk'allaqta, Castilla Mawk'allaqta, Espinar Mawk'allaqta, La Unión Mawk'allaqta, Melgar Mawk'allaqta, Paruro Mawk'allaqta, Sandia Mawk'ataray Mazur Miculla Millka Miraflores Mirq'imarka Miyu Pampa Moray Mulinuyuq Mullu Q'awa Mulluq'u Muyu Muyu Muyu Urqu Muyuq Marka Nazca Lines Nina Kiru Ninamarca Ñawpallaqta, Huanca Sancos Ñawpallaqta, Fajardo Ñawpallaqta, Lucanas Ñusta Hispana Ollantaytambo Pacatnamu Pachacamac Pachatusan Paiján Pañamarca Paracas Candelabra Paraccra Patallaqta Pikillaqta Pikimach'ay Pilluchu Pinkuylluna Pirca Pirca, La Libertad Pirca Pirca, Lima Pirhuaylla Piruro Pirwayuq Písac Puka Pukara Puka Tampu Puka Urqu Pukara, Coporaque Pukara, Fajardo Pukara, Puno Pukara, Vilcas Huamán Pukarani Pumamarka, San Sebastián Pumamarka, Urubamba Pumaq Hirka Pumawasi Punkuri Puqin Kancha Puruchuco Purunllacta, Cheto Purunllacta, Soloco Pusharo Pusuquy Pata Phuyupatamarka Qaqapatan Qenko Qillqatani Quchapata Qillqa Qillqay Mach'ay Quiaca Qullqapampa Qulu Qulu Qunchamarka Qunchupata Quri Winchus Qurimarka, Apurímac Qurimarka, Cusco Quriwayrachina, Anta Quriwayrachina, Ayacucho Quriwayrachina, La Convención Quyllur Q'arachupa Qasa Pata Qhapaq Kancha Q'illaywasin Raqch'i Revash Rumicolca Rumiwasi Runayuq Runkuraqay Sacsayhuamán Sara Sara Sayacmarca Sayhuite Sechín Sillustani Sipán Sóndor Susupillu Tambo Totem Tambomachay Tampu Mach'ay, Huancavelica Tampukancha Tanqa Tanqa Tantarica Taqrachullu Tarahuasi Tarmatambo Templo del Zorro The Toads of Wiraqucha Tikra Tinyaq Tipón Titiqaqa Toquepala Caves Toro Muerto Trinchera Túcume Tunanmarca Tunay Q'asa Tupu Inka T'akaq T'uqu T'uquyuq Uchkus Inkañan Urpish Uskallaqta Usnu, Ayacucho Usnu, Huánuco Usnu Muqu Usqunta Uyu Uyu Venado cautivo Ventanillas de Otuzco Ventarron Vilcabamba Vilcashuamán Viracochapampa Vitcos Wallpayunka Waman Pirqa Wamanilla Wamanmarka, Chumbivilcas Wamanmarka, Lima Wanakawri, Cusco Wanakawri, Huánuco Wanqaran Waqlamarka Waqra Pukara Waqutu Warahirka Waraqayuq Waraqu Urqu Warawtampu Wari Willka Waruq Wat'a, Cusco Wat'a, Huánuco Wayna Q'inti Wayna Tawqaray Wichama Wichqana Wich'un Wila Wilani Wilca Willkaraqay Willkawayin Wiñay Wayna Wiraqucha Pirqa Yanaca Yanaqi - Qillqamarka Yaynu Yuraq Mach'ay This Cusco Region geography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sacred_Valley&oldid=809913674 '' Categories : Archaeological sites in Peru Valleys of Peru Inca Archaeological sites in Cusco Region Landforms of Cusco Region Cusco Region geography stubs Hidden categories : CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Coordinates on Wikidata Articles containing Spanish - language text Articles containing Quechua - language text All stub articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage বাংলা Български Español Esperanto Euskara Français Galego Hrvatski Italiano עברית ქართული Lietuvių Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Runa Simi Русский Slovenčina Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 15 more Edit links This page was last edited on 12 November 2017, at 08 : 27. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: what is the altitude of the sacred valley
Answer: ranging from 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) at Pisac to 2,050 metres (6,730 ft)