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PERU TRAVEL PLANNER
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Economy in the Inca empire
The main resources available to the Inca Empire were
agricultural land and labour, mines (producing precious and prestigious metals
such as gold, silver or copper), and fresh water, abundant everywhere except
along the desert coast. With careful manipulation of these resources, the Incas
managed to keep things moving the way they wanted. Tribute in the form of
service ( mita) played a crucial role in maintaining the empire and pressurizing
its subjects into ambitious building and irrigation projects. Some of these
projects were so grand that they would have been impossible without the
demanding whip of a totalitarian state.
Although a certain degree of local barter was allowed, the state regulated the
distribution of every important product. The astonishing Inca highways were one
key to this economic success. Some of the tracks were nearly 8km wide and at the
time of the Spanish Conquest the main Royal Highway ran some 5000km, from the
Río Ancasmayo in Colombia down the backbone of the Andes to the coast at a point
south of the present-day Santiago in Chile. The Incas never used the wheel, but
gigantic llama caravans were a common sight tramping along the roads, each
animal carrying up to 50kg of cargo.
Every corner of the Inca domain was easily accessible via branch roads, all
designed or taken over and unified with one intention - to dominate and
administer an enormous empire. Runners were posted at chasqui stations and tambo
rest-houses which punctuated the road at intervals of between 2 and 15km. Fresh
fish was relayed on foot from the coast and messages were sent with runners from
Quito to Cusco (2000km) in less than six days. The more difficult mountain
canyons were crossed on bridges suspended from cables braided out of jungle
lianas (creeping vines) and high passes were - and still are - frequently
reached by incredible stairways cut into solid rock cliffs.
The primary sector in the economy was inevitably agriculture and in this the
Incas made two major advances: large terracing projects created the opportunity
for agricultural specialists to experiment with new crops and methods of
cultivation, and the transportation system allowed a revolution in distribution.
Massive agricultural terracing projects were going on continuously in
Inca-dominated mountain regions. The best examples of these are in the Cusco
area at Tipón, Moray, Ollantaytambo, Pisac and Cusichaca. Beyond the aesthetic
beauty of Inca stone terraces, they have distinct practical advantages. Stepping
hillsides minimizes erosion from landslides, and using well-engineered stone
channels gives complete control over irrigation. Natural springs emerging on the
hillsides became the focus of an intricate network of canals and aqueducts
extending over the surrounding slopes which had themselves been converted into
elegant stone terraces. An extra incentive to the Inca mind must surely have
been their reverence of water, one of the major earthly spirits. The Inca
terraces are often so elaborately designed around springs that they seem to be
worshipping as much as utilizing water.
Today, however, it is Inca construction which forms their lasting heritage: vast
building projects masterminded by high-ranking nobles and architects, and
supervised by expert masons with an almost limitless pool of peasant labour.
Without paper, the architects resorted to imposing their imagination onto clay
or stone, making miniature models of the more important constructions - good
examples of these can be seen in Cusco museums. More importantly, Inca masonry
survives throughout Peru, most spectacularly at the fortress of Sascayhuaman
above Cusco, and on the coast in the Achirana aqueduct, which even today still
brings water down to the Ica Valley from high up in the Andes. In the mountains,
Inca stonework gave a permanence to edifices which would otherwise have needed
constant renovation. The damp climate and mould quickly destroy anything but
solid rock; Spanish and modern buildings have often collapsed around well-built
Inca walls
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Published articles and reviews about us
2010
Testimonials
Norman Pedersen
Date:
Sun,18 Jul 2010
Machu Picchu and my entire visit to Peru were
wonderful. A dream come true.
I could not have been happier with everyone I met through your
arrangements.
The tours were very informative and showed me more than I knew
existed in this beautiful place.
All of the accommodations were very comfortable.
The luncheon buffet at the Alhambra was top rate. And the Ferré
Hotel in Lima was also a very good choice.Your personal assistance
throughout was exceptional!
Thank you for everything!
Melinda Hughes
Date:
Tues, 13 Jul 2010
I was one of
the “Joel Williams” party of four who was recently on a Peru Gateway
Travel tour of northern and southern Peru. I had to write so you
would know how satisfied we were with the hotel accommodations, the
tour guides, the restaurants they choose for our lunches and just
everything about the trip.
The hotels we stayed in were well located, clean and convenient in
every way. We have absolutely no complaints!
Our tour covered Peru from the north to the south. It had four
internal flights, so there were many connections, pick ups and
deliveries involved. Peru Gateway Travel made sure we were always
delivered on time to the airports and promptly met and picked up
when we landed. We never had a moments worry.
Since we had many different day tours, we had several different
guides. All were professional and spoke our language well. All were
very knowledgeable and eager to impart that knowledge to us. They
chose great places for our lunches and the cuisine was
unforgettable. We have traveled to many countries but found the food
in Peru to be absolutely wonderful.
I also wanted to mention the drivers who picked us up at all times
of the day and night, drove us to our next destination and the
delivered us safely to our hotels. We never had a driver who was
less than prompt, courteous and most importantly, a skilled and
careful driver.
The sites we saw were the places we chose to see. And they did not
disappoint us. From the desert to the Andes to the Jungle, we
enjoyed it all.
Please feel free to use this email on your website or as a
testimonial. All four of our group would recommend Peru Gateway
Travel to anyone planning a trip to Peru. We were well taken care
of, enjoyed delicious food, saw awesome sights and had a wonderful
time.
Sincerely.
Ajay Chopra
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
We are back in
Lima. Our trip to Machu Picchu was wonderful, thank you and your
team and the ground staff in Cuzco for all their help and care. A
special thanks to Angella for her help.
We hope to do business with you in the near future.
Best Regards
Saikat.
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
I just wanted to let you know that we had an amazing
and wonderful trip to your country.
I must state that the people of Peru impressed me very much - they
are so nice!
While I have already filled-up the feedback form, this is just a
personal note to say Thank you.
Do visit India sometime - we have a lot in common.
Regards,
Irina Pascu
Date:
Fri, 25 Jun 2010
I am now back
home but still not believed that the holiday is over. I just
write you to tell you that I had a wonderful time in Peru and to
thanks for
your support. The circuit was very well designed and I had the
opportunity
to visit all the important sites I envisaged and also the Sacred
Valley and
the Altiplano.
I was really impressed by the organization and your people, always
in time
for pick up and interested to offer the necessary information.
Finally I showed to my friends that Peru is not so far and a visit
there
could be a wonderful experience. For me was a dream come true.
Many thanks to you and to your team.
Melissa Polier
Date:
Tues, 22 Jun 2010
My 2 adult children and I recently returned from our
hike to Machu Picchu and I wanted to thank you for all your
assistance. Our trip was great. We very much enjoyed visiting your
beautiful country. I especially want to praise our guide, cook and
porters. They did a terrific job. The food was marvelous and after a
long hike it was definitely something to look forward to. The
porters were very kind and when I needed some assistance at the end
of the 3rd day one of the porters helped me a lot. Our guide was
great. He was very knowledgeable and fun to hike with and he seemed
to really love his job. Again, thanks so much for everything
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