During the 15th century, the Inca ruler Pachacutec forged a vast empire in South America,
stretching from what is now southern Colombia to central Chile, covering much of the Andes in
Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. This formidable empire, known as the "Tahuantinsuyo" or
"Empire of the Four Quarters of the World," extended over 4,000 kilometers from north to south
and was interconnected by an impressive road network that reached 40,000 kilometers in length.
The epicenter of this empire was in the Andean region of Peru, more than 3,000 meters above sea
level, in the city of Cusco. This metropolis, considered the capital and court of the Incas, was
located in an area of great strategic and cultural significance: the Sacred Valley. This fertile
territory, traversed by the Vilcanota-Urubamba River, stood out for its extraordinary
agricultural wealth and the majestic Inca fortresses. Likewise, this river originates in the
glaciers of the Vilcanota mountain range and takes the name Urubamba as it descends towards the
Amazonian jungles. On its journey, it connects two of the mountains most revered by the Incas:
Ausangate and Salkantay.
The river's flow is fed by the waters coming from the melting of the peak of the mountain
“Veronica”, considered the "wife" of Salkantay. On a promontory surrounded by the Urubamba River
and connected to Salkantay, the Incas built the impressive ceremonial citadel of Machu Picchu.
This place was not only a royal residence of the first emperors but also an important spiritual
center dedicated to the worship of the sacred mountains that surround it.
