Moray and Maras are two of the most visually extraordinary Inca sites in the Sacred Valley — Moray is a series of concentric circular terraces carved into a natural depression that functioned as an agricultural laboratory (each terrace level has a slightly different microclimate, allowing the Inca to test crop varieties at different temperatures), and Maras is an ancient salt-mining operation of over 5,000 terraced salt pans cascading down a mountainside, fed by a natural saline spring.
The Maras salt pans have been in continuous operation since before the Inca — the spring that feeds them produces naturally saline water, and the terraced pools (owned by individual families from the local community) evaporate the water to produce salt that is sold locally and increasingly exported as a gourmet product. The visual impact — thousands of white salt pans terracing down a red mountainside — is extraordinary, and the site provides one of the most photogenic landscapes in the Andes.
Moray's circular terraces create a temperature difference of about 15°C between the top and bottom, which gave the Inca the ability to simulate different altitude zones and test which crops could survive in different conditions — an agricultural research station that demonstrates a sophistication of scientific thinking that contradicts the common assumption that pre-Columbian civilisations lacked systematic inquiry. The combination of Moray and Maras (about 7km apart by road) is a standard half-day trip from Cusco or the Sacred Valley.
Verified Facts
Moray's terraces create a temperature difference of about 15°C between top and bottom
Maras has over 5,000 terraced salt pans
The salt pans have been in operation since before the Inca
Moray functioned as an Inca agricultural research station
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Espaderos, Cusco, Peru
