Pisac is only 32 kilometers from Cusco, making it easily and inexpensively accessible by public bus (from Tullumayo street) or 12-seater minivan (from Puputi street). The 45-minute drive is impressive in itself, providing panoramic views of the city of Cusco on the way out, and equally spectacular views as you approach Pisac and descend the 600 meters into the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

The town sits on the banks of the Urubamba River, dwarfed by the spectacular Peruvian Andes that rise on either side of the valley and nestled below the narrow rows of terraces that spill up the steep mountains from the ancient Inca citadel above. It has been suggested that these terraces symbolize the wing of a partridge – pisaqa in the native Quechua language – hence the town’s name. Partridges can apparently often be seen in the local area at night, and the Incas had a tradition of designing their settlements in the shapes of sacred birds and animals.

The Inca settlement of Pisac was destroyed by the Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro and his conquistadors in the early 1530s. It was Spanish colonial policy to force the natives to live in villages, to better control them, so the modern city of Pisac It was founded in the valley below the ruins by Viceroy Toledo in the 1570s.

Like all Peruvian towns, the town radiates from a central plaza, dominated by a huge expanse pisonay (falcate erythrin) tree. Tea pisonay it is a variety of vegetable – in fact, one of the largest vegetables in the Peruvian Andes, it has bright red tubular flowers that are pollinated by hummingbirds, and was considered sacred by the Incas. the giant of pisac pisonay It can be up to 500 years old.

In addition to its Inca ruins, Pisac is world famous for its traditional market, and it’s often hard to see that huge tree for all the plastic-covered stalls that fill the plaza. The biggest market is on Sundays, when local women fill the square to sell their homegrown fruits and vegetables, meat and herbs, groceries, and clothing.

But, during the months with the greatest tourist influx, from May to September, large tourist markets are also held on Tuesdays and Thursdays and other smaller ones every day, which flow through the streets surrounding the square. The selection of products available for sale is almost overwhelming. The list of handicrafts and souvenirs includes, but is certainly not limited to: local semi-precious stones (“The snake is the stone of Machu Picchu,” the vendor will tell you); silver jewelry and trinkets (many inlaid with those same semi-precious stones); super soft and very warm knitwear and alpaca wool, if you want to make your own sweater; hats of all shapes, sizes, fabrics and designs, from intricate patterns chullos (the hat with the flaps) to the leather hats; llama wool rugs stamped with traditional Inca symbols; handmade fabrics colored with natural dyes; elaborately carved pumpkins; as well as the usual range of tourist t-shirts and caps.

But you can’t just go to Pisac for retail therapy, excellent as that is. The city is also an epicurean’s delight. There is a traditional bakery, with a huge adobe oven, in a street facing the main square. It provides a communal cooking facility for those locals who do not have an oven: they deliver their food raw and pay a few soles to have it baked. Take the opportunity to try a delicious empanada, hot from the oven, but beware of the squeamish: this is also the place to see whole guinea pigs cooked fresh from the oven. Interestingly, in one corner of the bakery yard, there is a multi-story house for live guinea pigs, so you can see them alive and dead with a simple turn of the head.

In addition to those fresh empanadas, Pisac boasts a multitude of excellent restaurants, from traditional local eateries to those run by some of the foreigners who have made Pisac home. You can easily try indigenous dishes or satisfy your cravings for a homemade brownie or apple pie and ice cream.

And you really should go for a walk in the city. Your explorations will be rewarded with photographs of the fascinating sculptural reliefs on the building fronts; ornately carved wooden doors and windows; a small botanical garden; an interesting cemetery; and intriguing bulls on the rooftops.

Despite the daily influx of hundreds of tourists, thrown from their air-conditioned coaches during their dizzying tours of the Sacred Valley, the town retains a traditional atmosphere. The women dress in their vibrant native costumes, and not only because of the few soles that tourists pay to photograph them.

At one end of town, there is a small colonial church, where Sunday morning mass is presented in Quechua, and traditionally dressed men walk in and out of the church before and after the service. You may even be lucky enough to visit Pisac during its annual celebration of the Virgen del Carmen from July 15-18. It’s a loud and colorful time, with processions of statues of saints, musicians and dancers performing in the streets, loud explosions of firecrackers, and lots of partying and drinking.

A walk outside of town will give you an insight into local farming methods: depending on the time of year you visit, you might see bulls being used to plow the fields, or men digging up their little plots; the gorgeous yellows, oranges, and reds of quinoa, the new superfood, ripening in the paddocks; irrigation canals dating from the time of the Incas, as well as fabulous views between the Sacred Valley in the direction of Machu Picchu.

Have I tempted you to visit this charming Andean town? Be sure to include a trip to Pisac in your Peru Tour