The Sacred Mountain of Salkantay to Machupicchu

Exploring Salkantay: Its Sacred Landscape, Cultural Significance, and Ancestral Heritage

For the people of the Andes, reverence for the Apus and sacred mountains is significant. These mountains, including Salkantay, serve as local protectors and play an essential role in the Andean worldview. For instance, the Waqay Willke snowy peak (5,720 m) complements Salkantay in the traditional Andean symbolism of dualistic thinking. It is one of the most powerful deities in the region, revered as the father of all mountains. Even today, people hold it in high esteem, establishing an intimate visual connection between Machu Picchu, Choquechurco, and the snowy peaks of the Vilcabamba chain.

The Salkantay trek, along with the original Inca Trail, is considered the best route to Machu Picchu. This challenging trek covers nearly 70 kilometers through diverse Andean and tropical landscapes. The highest point is the Salkantay Pass at 6,271 meters above sea level, near the famous snow-capped peak of Cusco. The lowest point is in Santa Teresa, located at 1,550 meters.

During this arduous journey, trekkers can enjoy stunning sights, including the snowy Salkantay, Humantay Lagoon, Cocalmayo thermal baths, the town of Aguas Calientes, and, of course, Machu Picchu—one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The Salkantay trek tour includes everything necessary for a safe and well-organized experience: pickup, transportation, a professional guide, meals, horseback transfer of equipment, camping (or hotel reservations), entrance to Machu Picchu, and more. This adventure lasts 5 days and 4 nights and is available year-round. For many, it represents the highlight of their trip to Cusco and Peru—an unforgettable journey with Okidoki Travel Peru Operator!

The Vilcabamba Chain – Trek Operator

The sacred and administrative llaqta of Machu Picchu is nestled among the prominent snow-capped mountains on the eastern slope of the Vilcabamba mountain range. These include the “Salkantay Trek,” along with Humantay, Yanantay, and Tokorhuay. These revered mountains foster social cohesion through their veneration, as they provide essential water, a vital element for life in the Andean world. They also contribute to animal fertility, offer protection to inhabitants, and ensure successful harvests in the valleys.

Religious, political, and economic factors are integral to the mountain cults in this area. These elements play a crucial role in the social development of local communities, a tradition that has persisted for centuries among the Andean inhabitants of Cusco, Peru.

The current perspective of the residents around the Sacred Mountain Salkantay—encompassing Mollepata, Machu Picchu, Santa Teresa, Wayraqmachay, Collpapampa, Totora, and Yanama—reflects beliefs dating back to Inca society. This reverence for the sacred mountains is shared by many Andean peoples, emphasizing their vital role throughout history.

The sacred mountains of the Salkantay Trek lie within the boundaries of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (SHM), designated by Supreme Decree No. 001-81-AA on January 8, 1981, covering an area of 32,592 hectares. Furthermore, the buffer zone (ZA) of the SHM was expanded by Executive Resolution No. 322-2001-INRENA on September 16, 2004, increasing its area from 71,589 hectares to 193,334 hectares to include contiguous hydrographic basins.

Additionally, this area is part of the National Archaeological Park of Vilcabamba—Choquequirao Trek, established by National Directorial Resolution No. 949/INC on October 9, 2002. This resolution approved the Delimitation Plan for the Vilcabamba National Archaeological Park, covering 522,878.30 hectares and a perimeter of 367.09 kilometers, situated in the provinces of La Convención, Anta, and Abancay in the departments of Cusco and Apurímac.

Evolution and distribution of glaciers in the chain of the sacred Salkantay Trek Operator:

At the time when the glacial areas of the Aobamba basin reached their maximum development, the glaciers probably descended to an elevation of 2950 m and as environmental climatic conditions changed, a deglaciation process began, observed for a part that, according to the pre-existing morphology, developed the main glacial stream along the bed of the Aobamba valley, which during its retreat was subdivided into the areas of the tributary ravines, generating in the latter, the secondary glacial basins, such as in the cases of the Mesada, Tokorhuay, Paccha Grande, Sisaypampa and Orcospampa, which are the longest running in the upper area of the main basin. On the other hand, on the slopes of the flanks of the valley where the slopes are steep, the glacial retreat of the fronts occurred almost parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main sacred glacial stream.

Currently, the glaciers that belong to Aobamba are concentrated around the Palkay (5422 m), Salkantay Trek (6264m) and Tokorhuay (5473m) hills, evidently year after year they continue to lose extension and volume. In the last thirty years the rate of glacial melting has increased rapidly, the causes of this melting being attributed to greenhouse effects – okidoki travel peru operator.

Peru – Salkantay Trekking Group:

Salkantay, 6,264 meters high, is the most important snow-capped mountain in the Vilcabamba mountain range and occupies the southern position of the Aobamba valley basin. The Sisaypampa, Orcospampa and Paccha Grande streams are born from its slopes. In 1963, five main glaciers were inventoried as belonging to the Aobamba river basin, located on the northern side of the mountain and oriented to the northeast and northwest. Of these, four correspond to the mountain type and one to the sacred valley type.

The total glacier surface of the snowy Salkantay in the area of the Aobamba basin, in 1963 was 8.59 km2 and in 1998, according to the satellite image, it was 3.98 km2. Consequently, a reduction of 4.61 km2 of ice has been found, which corresponds to a loss of glacier area of 53.8% for a period of 35 years. Currently the lower edge of the Salkantay glacier area is at ± 4800 masl, and due to the accelerated deglaciation process, this level will continue to rise in the coming years. From the geodynamic point of view, it is in the Salkantay sector that five events have been generated between 1996 and 1998.

Three of the four that occurred in the Aobamba river basin and that occurred on July 12, 1996, March 12, and November 22, 1998, originated from the rupture and detachment of hanging glacial masses. The alluvium of February 27, 1998 that caused the damming of the Vilcanota River and affected the Machupicchu hydroelectric power station, occurred as a result of a solifluxion process that originated on the outer slope of the frontal moraine arch that encloses the glacier tongue, whose flow in the initial section where there is a rock step of approximately 80 m of unevenness, increased its speed and destruction capacity. Many parts of the mountain where slope changes occur in the base rock of type granite and the glacial masses have had little thickness, the latter have already ablated, leaving more and more exposed rock surfaces, for which reason the main ice currents are subdividing and to the extent that the deglaciation process continues at the rate in that has been taking place, in the coming years it is inferred that there will be sectors in the lower area of Salkantay that will appear as isolated ice deposits, with a tendency to become extinct – oki doki operator.

Regarding the aspect of risks, the loss of glacier area and the ostensible decrease in the volume of ice not only in Salkantay, but also in the rest of the glaciers, translates as a favorable situation in the sense that avalanches and collapses of the masses of ice will be smaller and smaller – oki doki operator. In the same way, it has been observed that the lower zone of the glaciers that belong to the Salkantay, and from where the avalanches mentioned in previous lines were produced, are currently thin and lie on rock surfaces of medium slope; Just from the terminal front of glacier No. 15, which is located in the upper left part of the Salkantay lagoon, there are continuous ice collapses that fall directly on the glacier mass in the process of extinction that is generating the formation and development of lagoons.

Historical Summary of the scope of the Salkantay Operator Project:

The positions and approaches regarding the occupation process of the study area have been established since the pre-Inka era, as a primordial stage, in which the first hierarchical societies based on worship, agriculture, livestock and, in our case, the domain of the Ecological floors, those that were organized from nearby towns, such as Mollepata, related to the cult of the Apu Salkantay. This territory reports little historical information on its pre-Inka past; however, the investigations of Modesto Layme Sotelo go back from the years 945-1006 AD. This is based on a series of archaeological remains that he located in places like Taramoqo, Chilcapata, Qotomarka, etc. The chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega (1609) reports that: “this area was inhabited by the Rimactampus who would be conquered by the first Inca Manco Capac”.

In a report made in 1586, Peru indicated that the name of Mollepata still came from the “time of the Inga” and meant “anden de molles”, Mollepata together with Pampaconga, Patallacta, and Chonta were peoples of the Inca and the sun, that is to say, they were servants of the Inca. Waldemar Espinoza (1975), contrasting the relationship of 1586 with a document of evidence and information of 1575, indicates that the vast majority of the population that inhabited the banks of the Apurímac and Pachachaca rivers were mitimaes brought from the Peruvian coast or from other Yungas areas. Andean (Cañarís or Chachapoyas) who, in many cases, had been transferred to these areas – Cusco Peru Operator.

Continuing with the relationship of 1586, this indicated that the inhabitants of Mollepata were under the command of a curaca and worshiped the sun and trees, stones and that they paid tribute to chili peppers and corn and that they also kept cattle from the land for the guacas they worshiped, their clothing it consisted of tank tops with a blanket that they put on top and had their hair long. Their diet consisted of corn, chili, potatoes, quinoa, ocas, chochos and yuyu, the extensive description itself gives more references about the scope of the salkantay trek operator project:

Likewise, in the area there were various trees such as alder, chachacomo, quishuar, and molle which served as charcoal, firewood and to make tables and chairs and for the construction of houses, apart from corn, chili peppers and potatoes, fruits were produced Calls from the land such as guavas, lucmas, granadillas, cucumbers and plums, medicinal plants such as chichera were used to heal wounds. The houses were made of adobes that were covered with wood and straw, the land was rugged and infested with lions (pumas), bears, wild cats and foxes, as well as deer, guanacos and partridges. Mollepata was crossed by two important rivers, the mighty Bermejo River and the Blanco River, the latter coming from from the puna of the snows of this mountain range that they call Machu Piccho Salcantay.

In relation to this ethnohistorical quote, which helps us to see the town of Mollepata at Machu Picchu since Inka times, they basically lived in warm places like Marcahuasi, Cotomarca, Qonoc or Cachu (current Bellavista) who were mitimaes, who had been settled by the Inkas Topa Ynga Yupangui and Guayna Capac, chroniclers such as Murua (1590) and Cobo (1653) speak of a chief named Caruarayco or Carbayayso, who was curaca of Cotomarca in the time of Manco Inga, this apparently was a Cañari chief who had been posted by Guayna Capac.

Already with the presence of the Spaniards in the territories of the old Tawantinsuyu, Mollepata was granted as a commission, first in 1536 to the Núñez de Mercado factor, then in 1548 the peacemaker La Gasca would revoke said commission in favor of Captain Lope Suazo. Marcahuasi as an inheritance or private land would be granted by royal mercy to the secretary of La Gasca: Don Pedro López de Cazalla,5 in 1569 already with Francisco de Toledo as viceroy of Peru Mollepata was entrusted to Doña Francisca Robles, widow of Captain López de Suazo, In the visit and tax made by this viceroy in 1570, it was indicated that in this distribution, from Mollepata – Salcantay, 69 tributary Indians were found, 9 old and handicapped Indians who did not pay tax, 69 boys aged 17 and under, 186 women of all ages and state that in total they made were 353 people who paid a rate of 390 pesos of tested and marked silver – Oki doki Operator. It is precisely in this period that the reduction or accommodation of the indigenous people of Mollepata began in a western-style Indian town, which is the origin of the current town of Mollepata, this town would be placed under the invocation of the patron Santiago, which is why that would be called Santiago de Mollepata, this causes the population that was settled since Inka times in various places in the area to be brought together in one place, losing control of the lands that they had previously used, in 1586 most of the population indigenous people had disappeared, a situation that would be taken advantage of by various Spaniards who began to access the dispossessed lands to the natives settling in them private properties and haciendas of the Spanish invaders.

In a report made in 1689, the priest of Limatambo Joseph de Mesa Guerrero indicated that in Mollepata there were 18 haciendas, one ranch and five seats, this indicates that the ownership of the land was in usufruct by private owners, the only property that still remained in hands of the natives was the estancia of Charqueccolca, for this time the original natural population of Mollepata was made up of only 44 Indians, 47 Indians and 29 children, both men and women. At this time, a large presence of foreign Indians was already noticeable, a total of 117, who had been brought from various parts to work on the haciendas (Villanueva 1980 : 213 Machu Picchu). After 1689, the thread of Mollepata’s historical past is lost until the beginning of the Republic, 1834 to be exact, the date on which the president of the republic, José Luis de Orbegozo, makes his I pass through this town which is described as being surrounded by two hills called Tilca and Molleccasa. At that time, Mollepata was, since 1819 or 1821, the obligatory pass through which the road that came from Lima to Cusco – Machu Picchu ran (Blanco White 1974: 117).

IMPORTANT FACTS

CONDITIONS FOR MAKING A RESERVATION AND CANCELLATIONS
to make your reservation you need the exact date of your salkantay trek departure because there are no changes or cancellations

MONEY DEPOSIT
To confirm your reservation and your participation in the trek, you need to make a deposit. This deposit is to reserve all your trek services and, most importantly, the purchase of the Machu Picchu ticket (the Machu Picchu ticket is personal, it cannot be canceled or change date)

CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellations and date changes are not accepted, you simply lose your deposit, there is no refund.
your deposit is not for our pocket, it is for the organization of a good trek in okidoki and to have this good organization you have to make advance reservations of all the services that you are going to have during the 4 or 5 days of your trek and these reservations are made with deposits so as not to have inconveniences or last minute cancellations from our suppliers and if we cancel these reservations we lose our deposits because this is not a game and by making a reservation with our service providers for the trek we are blocking spaces that they can simply give to other tour operators who also need it.

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS FOR STUDENT DISCOUNT
THE ISIC CARD IS NOT VALID BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT FOUND FAKE COPIES… AND IT IS ALSO NOT VALID, CERTIFICATIONS, DOCUMENTS, NOTE FROM UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, INTERNSHIPS, ETC.
If you are a student, the discount is 20 dollars but you must have a card from your university with the current date (2024) not 2 or 3 years later (not 2025 or 2026). Yourimage. The name of your university.

We need the copy of your original passport and your student card to show it to the government and he will say if it is valid or not because the discount is for the entrance of the Machupicchu and not for our trek.
(IMPORTANT: you have to take your original plastic (PVC) student card, not cardboard or paper for your salkantay trek because if you don’t have it your ticket will not be valid and you will have to buy another ticket it is a problem because if there are no spaces you will not visit Machupicchu you must be 25 years old or younger)… If you do not have this original card or this information on your student card that the government requires, I recommend you buy a normal adult ticket to avoid problems because we will not be responsible for this.

DOUBLE CLICK VIEW MAP TOURS: The Sacred Mountain of Salkantay: Its Landscape, Power and Ancestors

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