Maras salt mines

E55700

The Maras salt mines are a vast network of terraced salt evaporation ponds in Peru’s Andes, renowned for their striking landscape and centuries-old traditional salt production.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf cultural heritage site
salt evaporation ponds
tourist attraction
accessFrom city of Cusco
climate high-altitude Andean climate
colorCharacteristic white and pink hues
constructionMaterial clay-lined ponds
country Peru
culturalSignificance ancestral salt-making knowledge
traditional Andean livelihood
distanceFromCusco about 40 kilometers
drainageBasin Urubamba basin
economicActivity artisanal salt production
elevation approximately 3000 meters above sea level
heritage indigenous Andean traditions
historicalUseBy Inca civilization
historicalUseSince pre-Inca times
knownFor centuries-old salt harvesting techniques
striking stepped landscape
traditional Andean salt production
languageLocalName Spanish
localName Salineras de Maras
locatedIn Andes
Cusco Region
Maras District
Sacred Valley
Urubamba Province
mainProduct pink salt
salt
management local community cooperatives
near Urubamba River
town of Maras
numberOfPonds over 3000
operatedBy local families
ownershipModel family-owned plots
productionMethod solar evaporation
region southern Peru
regionType rural area
seasonality salt harvested mainly in dry season
shape terraced ponds
tourism popular tourist destination
tourismActivity guided tours
landscape photography
usedFor culinary salt
gourmet salt products
visualFeature geometric patchwork of ponds
waterSource salty underground stream
subterranean saline spring

Referenced by (2)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Sacred Valley
contains
Urubamba
nearbyAttraction

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