4 Best Sights in Pisac, Cusco and the Sacred Valley

Pisac's central square held the local Indigenous Artisanal Market for many years before it was moved to its own permanent space northwest of the plaza. You'll now find many of the ceramics, jewelry, and textiles vendors in rented retail spaces on nearby side streets. A tradition that continues in Plaza de Armas is the 11 am Sunday Quechua Mass at the Iglesia San Pedro Apóstolo. Watch the elaborate costumed procession led by the mayor, who carries his varayoc, a ceremonial staff, from the church after the service. 

Once an off-the-beaten-path secret, this high-altitude azure lake and its two sisters lie north of Pisac and have become a favorite tour from town or Cusco. Situated at more than 4,200 meters (13,780 feet) in elevation and located near Paru Paru mountain, Kinsa Cocha, Puma Cocha, and Azul Cocha are a stark contrast from Pisac's touristy town and Inca ruins. A trip here provides easy access to jaw-dropping—and literally breathtaking, given the altitude—Andean landscapes dotted by packs of wild llamas and vicuñas. To help contend with the high altitude, consider chewing some coca leaves as you walk around. For about S/150, you can hire a taxi to take you to the first lagoon and wait a couple of hours while you hike and explore the two neighbor lakes. 

If you've come to Pisac in search of its famous Indigenous market, you’ll be ushered a few blocks north of its former location at Plaza de Armas to this new pavilion, open daily and hosting about a hundred stalls packed to the gills with a lot of stuff—most of it standard souvenir fare. Even if the quality is a bit disappointing, it's not all bad: the alpaca shawls, hats, and jewelry here are cheaper and of better quality than in Cusco, and you can bargain for the best price. Some stalls even accept credit cards. 

From the market area, drive or take a taxi for S/35 one way up the winding road to the Inca ruins of Pisac. Archaeologists originally thought the ruins were a fortress to defend against fierce Antis (jungle peoples), though there's little evidence that battles were fought here. Now it seems that Pisac was a bit of everything: citadel, religious site, observatory, residence, and, possibly, a refuge in times of siege. The complex also has a temple to the sun and an astronomical observatory, from which priests calculated the growing season each year, but this part of the site was closed in 2015 for safety reasons, and there is no set date to reopen. Narrow trails wind tortuously between and through solid rock. You may find yourself practically alone on the series of paths in the mountains that lead you among the ruins, through caves, and past the largest known Inca cemetery (the Inca buried their dead in tombs high on the cliffs). Just as spectacular as the site are the views from it.