SOUTH VALLEY TOUR IN CUSCO (FULL-DAY)

WHAT PLACES TO VISIT ON THE SOUTH VALLEY CUSCO TOUR

We invite you to know the wonderful tour of the south valley of Cusco, X TRAVEL PERU will provide you with the best quality and safety service.

TIPÓN

According to historian Luis Antonio Pardo, his name would come from Quechua: Timpuj which means: boiling water, and according to María Rostworowski Tipón it shows the “clear intention that the Incas had to expand their agricultural frontier by appealing to monumental infrastructure.”

HYDRAULIC ENGINEER

The North American engineer Kenneth Wright, in his book entitled “Tipón, a hydraulic engineering work of art in the Inca Empire, highlights the importance of water management in an agricultural society like the Inca, due to climatic variations caused by phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña, which promoted the improvement of hydraulic techniques for the better use of this resource, in a process that accumulated 3,500 years of experience. The complex irrigation system of Tipón, the knowledge of the flows and the slopes and the enormous infrastructure works that were carried out to efficiently irrigate this vast area.

PIKILLAQTA

What does Piquillacta or Pikillaqta mean?

Piquillaqta has a peculiar origin because it derives from two Quechua words where piki means flea and Llaqta, town; which in Spanish means “the town of fleas”, however, it should be noted that piki also means small, so it could be said small town.
According to studies, it is known that it was assigned the name of Piquillaqta after the arrival of the Spanish. And although his name is unknown in the Inca, it is possible that it was Muyuna or Muyna. Today this place is known as Huacarpay and is part of the Pikillaqta complex.

However, Piquillaqta is a pre-Inca city occupied by the Wari, in fact, its extension went to the town of Paruro (Cusco). It is known that the Wari, before settling in Piquillacta, occupied Chelques; Its great expansion due to the characteristics of the Cusco valley made them develop towns with cultural characteristics typical of their culture, they reached a high level of engineering their cities were built under already established urban patterns, their advance was taken advantage of by other cultures and perfected by the Incas.

SISTINE CHAPEL OF ANDAHUAYLILLAS

The Andahuaylillas church is well known for its architecture, in fact, the most impressive thing is the seventeenth century mural painting. In addition, this temple is dedicated to Saint Peter, and the quality of the paintings and the incredible architecture has led to it being called the Sistine Chapel of America.
Certainly, inside you will be able to appreciate paintings of Esteban Murillo that the Virgin of the Assumption painted, and other murals which belong to the great 17th century Peruvian painter Luis de Riaño. On the other hand, the church also houses a collection of canvases from the Cusco school, where the life of Saint Peter is, however, inside the temple you will find rest of Inca constructions, for this reason it is believed that the church was built on some Inca temple.

Inside it also houses the famous Baptism of Christ, a work that was painted by Luis de Riaño under the influence of Angelino Medoro, Bernardo Bitti and Mateo Pérez, fathers of the painting of the Cusco School.

SOUTH VALLEY TOUR IN CUSCO

•  Pick-up at your hotel by the guide in our minivan at 08:15 a.m.
• Transfer to the south of the city of Cusco.
• First guided visit to Tipon archaeological park.
• Then, transfer to the archaeological complex of Pikillaqta.
•  We will continue to the District of Andahuaylillas
• Lunch in Andahuaylillas.
• After lunch guided tour of the Andahuaylillas Chapel
• Return to the city of Cusco.
• Arrival to the city of Cusco at 04:00 p.m.

South Valley Cusco: Tipón – Pikillaqta – Andahuaylillas

For the South Valley Cusco tour, we will pick you up from your hotel at 08:15 hours to have a guided tour in the south valley where you can visit the following places: The Tipón Archaeological Park: A large impressive cultivation area that contains 12 terraces that are currently cultivated, whose walls were built with finely carved stones. Even more impressive is the irrigation engineering system that still serves agriculture and the advantage is the water intake in the spring season.

Then, we will go to Pikillaqta: It presents characteristics of a large urban center corresponding to the period of development of the Wari Empire with more than a thousand constructions between squares, colcas, temples, long and narrow. Streets with buildings that were up to 4 meters high. Finally, we will go to Andahuaylillas: Typical Andean town from the colonial period of unique origin and architecture.

Andahuaylillas highlights its Catholic temple from the colonial period with a beautiful decoration and mural painting from the 17th and 18th centuries known as the Sistine Chapel of Cusco. Upon return, we will enjoy the delicious pork rinds (optional). We will return to the city of Cusco at approximately 03:30 p.m.

THE TOUR SOUTH VALLEY CUSCO INCLUDES:

•  Pick-up from your hotel
•  Bilingual Guide (Spanish and English Speaking Guide)
• Tourist transport

IN THE TOUR OF THE SOUTH VALLEY CUSCO DOES NOT INCLUDE

• Air or land tickets
• Food
• Entrance to Andahuaylillas S/. 10 per person
• Extra expenses

Recommendations for the south valley cusco tour

• Wear comfortable clothes first.
• Sunscreen and sunglasses.
• Rain poncho.
• Also bring water and snacks.
• Especially wear chinstraps
• Also carry out personal alcohol
• However, face shield
• Finally bring extra money.

Please ask for a personalized quote. The price is customized depending on the final accommodation options, travel dates and other preferences.