Pisac

Information

Pisac or Pisaq is an archaeological park located about 38 km from the city of Cusco. It is one of the most important for the amount of structures that a visitor can observe.

It is located in the lower part of a mountainside, at about 3300 metres above sea level. To enter there is a booth where you have to show your tourist ticket, or else you can pay for it on the spot. From there you follow the main path, which goes all the way down the hill and ends at the village below. The whole walk takes about 3 to 4 hours.

At the beginning of the walk you pass some waterfalls and immediately you see some crop terraces. Then there are tunnels, bridges, viewpoints and remains of urban areas. Some sectors and structures stand out, such as:
- The cemetery known as T'antana Marka, which is in the wall of a mountain where you can see like hollows which is where the tombs are.
- The Q'allaqasa sector with water fountains.
- A military area with towers, which is at the top.
- The Intihuatana, which is a stone sculpture, enclosed between a curved wall and a straight wall that looks like a letter D. It is believed that for the Incas it could have been a sundial or an astronomical observatory. It is one of the 2 that exist today (the other is at Machu Picchu).

To get there from Cusco:
- First you must go to the town of Pisac (there are buses that come and go every day at various times).
- Once in the town, it is a 9 km uphill asphalt road to the entrance of the ruins, where there is a car park. Walking these kilometres is a considerable effort (taking into account the distance and altitude), so a good option is to take a taxi to the archaeological site. If you are only going to do the first part of the ruins, it is convenient to arrange the return trip with the taxi driver, but if you are going to do the complete circuit, it is not necessary because the tour ends in the town itself.
- If you wish to hire a tour or guide service, it is worth mentioning that some of the packages offered only cover the first part of the site, while others cover the complete tour, so it is advisable to check what is included.