Urupampa

Urubamba lies in the broad valley of the river of the same name, north of Cusco. Snow-covered mountains rise above the fertile valley floor, where Inca terraces and irrigation works made the most of the land. The valley was a favored setting for royal estates, including nearby centers at Pisaq and Ollantaytambo. Its maize fields and settlements formed part of the agricultural landscape that sustained the Inca heartland and continued to support communities after the Spanish conquest.