Inca Ruins

 The Inca were the most powerful, possibly largest, empire in the early 16th century. Although they were invaded by the Spanish and overtaken in 1572, many ruins remain to tell us their story: travel through citadels Saqsaywaman and Pisac, the water temple Tambomachay, agricultural stations in Moray, the peculiar Maras Salt Mines, the stronghold and estate Ollantaytambo, and the crowning glory of the Inca empire, Machu Picchu. Learn what made the Inca so unique by exploring their ingenious agricultural terraces, masterful stonework, and places of worship and ritual. Along with this history, even a short hike in the Sacred Valley yields spectacular views, the kind that once would inspire the Incas toward further conquest and expansion of their empire.