SALT MINES OF MARAS

The Salt mines of Maras are located 50 km northeast of the city of Cusco, at an altitude of 3,200 meters above sea level. Geographically, they are located in the lower part of the sub-basin and left bank of the Salineras stream, towards its mouth in the Vilcanota river, in the jurisdiction of the peasant communities of Maras and Pichingoto, between the ravines of the Qaqahuiñay, Cruz Mocco, Llully Mocco and Chupayoq.

It has three access routes: from the town of San Francisco de Maras, along the bridle path or runañan to the salt mines of Maras, the paved road from the town of San Francisco de Maras, and crossing the Inca bridge of Tarabamba through the community of Pichingoto.

The salt mines of Maras themselves are made up of a set of approximately 4,500 salt pools located in the form of stepped terraces on the middle slope of the Qaqawiñay hill with slopes of 20 degrees incline to the bottom of the ravine on the left bank of the Salineras stream, with dimensions that fluctuate around 5 linear meters, occupying a total area of ​​approximately 1.5 to 2 hectares.

The terraces are made up of irregular stone retaining walls settled with mud mortar, forming dikes that delimit the pools as small reservoirs of approximately 5m2. The saltwater conduction system from its catchment is carried out through a main irrigation channel, which branches into several small channels that feed the pools. The conduction and maintenance of the salt water canal is associated with a path that, due to its layout and characteristics, is presumed to be of pre-Hispanic origin. This technology is similar to that of irrigation in pre-Hispanic agricultural platforms characterized by the conduction and equitable distribution of water.