{"id":1793,"date":"2018-08-26T21:56:07","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T02:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/?p=1793"},"modified":"2019-08-28T18:56:54","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T23:56:54","slug":"25-salt-and-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maycas.us\/wordpress\/?p=1793","title":{"rendered":"25: Salt and Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first stop of the day was the Maras Salt Mines (or salt evaporation ponds}.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ponds were first put in place by pre-Inca civilizations. They are fed with water from an underground stream of mineral rich water that some describe as a ancient ocean that was trapped underground. The water travels through a network of small channels to the ponds and flow is controlled by blocking off sections of the channel with rocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the ponds are filled, they are left for a period of time so the sun can evaporate the water, leaving the salt behind. Families in the area own, tend, and ultimately harvest the pools. The salt is sold locally in the Sacred Valley as well as internationally.  If you ever purchase Peruvian pink salt it may very well have come from these ponds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

I was not expecting the ponds to be impressive, but was pleasantly surprised. This is a another in a long list of items from the trip that must be experienced in person to truly understand how immense and magnificent the site really is. And, it has become a very popular destination. There was a traffic jam trying to get in\/out of the parking area when we arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n