Peru is blessed with another natural phenomenon - Salt Pans in Maras, one of the Inca ruins in Peru. Our visit to this salt pans or salt mines is what I called an "acclimatization" tour to the Sacred Valley prior to our visit to Machu Picchu.
As our bus approached the valley, we were confronted with this jaw dropping view of the glittering pools and a myriad of salt crusted terraces nestle against the sides of the mountains.
While we are familiar with the abstraction of sea salt from the sea water, salt extraction from this mines is similar except that the salt water or brine is natural stream that trickles down from the mountains. This salt from this mines is reckoned to be among the best in the world in view of the other minerals the brine contains.
This salt extraction started way before the Inca times and is still surviving to these days. Each of the thousands of ponds is sized between 4 to 10 square meters and 10 to 30 cm deep. Once the salt water evaporates, salt crystals formed are harvested with simple tools. Hence, they are more appropriately being referred to as salt evaporation ponds or pans rather than mines.
Each pond is owned by the local natives of the Maras Peru community who have exclusive right to harvest and sell.
It is truly remarkable to witness first hand this traditional salt abstraction method deep in the mountains at elevation over 3,000 m above sea level and inherited since over 1,000 years ago!
As our bus approached the valley, we were confronted with this jaw dropping view of the glittering pools and a myriad of salt crusted terraces nestle against the sides of the mountains.
While we are familiar with the abstraction of sea salt from the sea water, salt extraction from this mines is similar except that the salt water or brine is natural stream that trickles down from the mountains. This salt from this mines is reckoned to be among the best in the world in view of the other minerals the brine contains.
This salt extraction started way before the Inca times and is still surviving to these days. Each of the thousands of ponds is sized between 4 to 10 square meters and 10 to 30 cm deep. Once the salt water evaporates, salt crystals formed are harvested with simple tools. Hence, they are more appropriately being referred to as salt evaporation ponds or pans rather than mines.
Each pond is owned by the local natives of the Maras Peru community who have exclusive right to harvest and sell.
It is truly remarkable to witness first hand this traditional salt abstraction method deep in the mountains at elevation over 3,000 m above sea level and inherited since over 1,000 years ago!
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| This google map is probably a better visual of the topography of the salt ponds. |
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Earlier before we visited the Maras Salt Ponds, we were driven to see the Moray, another Inca ruin within the Maras area. These archaeological sites are terraced circular depressions built at the high plateau of elevation 3,500 m AMSL. Other than taking a few photos of one of the terraced circular depressions, we could not get to see much as it was a touch-and-go visit.
On the purpose of these depressions, the widely accepted explanation is that these bowl shaped depressions (deepest is 30 m) were once Incans agricultural laboratory. Because of the different conditions at each terrace and varying temperatures from the top to the bottom, it is believed that Incas used different levels to test and experiment with the crops and vegetation.
Not everyone buys this idea, because of its amphitheater-liked design, some hold the view that this was a place for ceremonies and celebrations for the Incas.
Yet there is another more far-fetched absurd idea: These are sites for the landings of the terrestrial beings or the UFO's! This idea was reinforced by the "sightings" of UFO`s in the area!
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| An abstract from google map. |
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