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Pisac

Pisac is a quaint Andean town at the eastern end of the Sacred Valley and located 32 km (19 mi) northeast from Cusco. The highlights of my stay here were participating in a shaman ceremony and visiting the Inca ruins and the colorful market. Pisac was founded by the Spanish conquistador Viceroy Toledo about 40 years after the Spanish conquest of Peru. It has evolved into one of the biggest and well-known artisanal markets in Peru. In the town's main square, hand-crafted goods including weavings, arpilliras, alpaca sweaters, ponchos and hats, carved gourds and pan pipes (zampoña) and other traditional Andean musical instruments, touristy trinkets, local produce and cooked Andean foods are sold every day. I loaded my pockets with Peruvian nuevo soles; in the tourist areas, it is customary to pay one nuevo sol (38 cents USD) to take a picture of a villager decked out in traditional dress. This is how some locals make a living.

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Cusco Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu