THE SACRED MOUNTAIN OF SALKANTAY: YOUR LANDSCAPE, POWER AND ANCESTERS

For the inhabitants of the Andes, reverence for the apus, sacred mountains, converted into local protectors, did not go unnoticed in time, thus, mountains such as Salkantay, among others that surround it, assume an important role in the Andean worldview. For example, the snow of Waqay Willke (5720 masl), within the traditional symbolism of Andean dual thought, is considered the complement of Salkantay which is one of the most powerful and active deities of the place, it is also appreciated by the inhabitants, the father of all the mountains in the region and even today it is the object of great veneration, so Machupicchu and Choquechurco maintain an intimate visual contact with Salkantay and other snowcaps of the Vilcabamba chain.

The Vilcabamba MOUNTAIN

The sacred and administrative llaqta of Machupicchu is located between important snowfalls of the eastern slope of the Vilcabamba mountain range, «Salkantay, (Humantay Yanantay and Tokorhuay that they surround it) and Waqay Willke »1 whose mountains, object of worship, enable a social cohesion that revolves around its veneration, as these are water providers, vital element, principle of existence in the Andean world, as well as generate fertility in animals, protection of its inhabitants and success in crops.In the cult of the mountains in the area, religious, political and economic factors are involved; important within the process of social development of their communities, the same ones that have been present for centuries, and they are and were very familiar to the Andean inhabitants of all time. The current vision of the inhabitants of the Sacred Mountain (Mollepata, Machupicchu, Santa Teresa, Wayraqmachay, Collpapampa, Totora, Yanama) in force since the time of the Inca society, is shared by Andean peoples, in such a way that the area is known for reverence to the sacred mountains, hardly ignored and that undoubtedly play a vital function over time.
SALKANTAY TREK INFORMATION
These sacred mountains are located within the delimitation polygon of the Historic Sanctuary of Machipicchu (SHM), declared as such by supreme decree No. 001-81-AA of January 8, 1981, with an area of ​​32,592 ha. Likewise, in the buffer zone (ZA) of the SHM specified by the head resolution No. 322-2001-INRENA of September 16, 2004, which proposes the extension of the ZA from including continuous immediate hydrographic basins to the SHM area, increasing the air of the ZA of those in force in 71,589 ha to 193,334 ha. Finally, it is also considered within the Vilcabamba-Choquequirao National Archaeological Park, declared by national directive resolution No. 949 / INC, dated October 9, 2002, which resolves: «Approve the Plan for the Delimitation of the National Archaeological Park of Vilcabamba (Choquequirao), Plan No. V-01, dated July 2002, with a area of ​​522,878.30 hectares and a perimeter of 367.09 kilometers, at a scale of 1: 125,000, located in the provinces of La Convencion, Anta and Abancay, in the departments of Cusco and Apurímac ».

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