Meandering through Moray
You set out into the Sacred Valley of Peru from Cusco early in the morning with your driver and guide, headed to your first stop, Moray. As you leave the city and start your descent into the valley, the roads become more difficult. It has rained a bit and there is mud, but there is also construction. As you near the site, you come to a roadblock and are told by the workers there you can proceed no further. You are worried your visit may not happen, but the site is within view, so you and your guide get out and begin walking.
Soon you can see the visitors center and people around it. You arrive and present your ticket then walk toward the edge. Below you is an otherworldly scene, the first circle at Moray, a large circular depression with many terraces. The path leads down to the left and as you follow it, you notice the floating steps that are built into the terraces, providing access to each level. Each terrace is about 5 feet tall, the average height of an Incan, but from this vantage, they look smaller.
As you walk around the first circle, your guide explains the mystery of this site. The terraces were used for growing crops, that much is known, but Moray was not near any large Incan population centers, so what was the purpose? The unique geography of the site shelters it from the surrounding area, and as a result each level of terrace has a slightly different micro climate. The Incans took advantage of that and grew many different crops here, some of which were not typical for the area. It is believed the entire complex was some kind of agricultural laboratory.
You pass the first circle and reach the second. Its smaller and partially eroded, but still impressive as the dappled sunlight from swiftly moving clouds moves across it. Piles of stones within wait to be used for restoration. Next you reach the third circle which is mostly dirt and undergoing an active reconstruction effort. Behind it you can see the snow capped Andes, your ultimate destination on this day.
Looking back on the site, you marvel at its unusual beauty. This is only the first and what will turn out to be the least impressive of the Incan sites you will visit in the coming days, but its still an amazing thing to see. As you make your way back up toward the parking lot, you find your driver waiting after taking the long way around from the earlier roadblock. You get in the van and the driver heads toward the next destination.