South Valley (Half Day)

Meeting Point

Tipon

Tipon is a 500-acre site near Cusco that is built around a spring. Although in many Peruvian ruins there is evidence of irrigation channels and constructions, Tipon is one of the only places where the irrigation system is still fully functional, with water flowing all year round (even in the dry season). In fact, Tipon has been touted as a masterpiece of water management, and the American Society of Civil Engineers has put Tipon on its list of International Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. The actual reason and historical use for Tipon is (as with many Peruvian ruins) not entirely known; it is surmised that it was constructed as part of a country estate for Inca nobility. Some of the finely cut stones and trapezoidal doors and windows imply an imperial air that was reserved for royalty. Others suggest that Tipon was an agricultural lab (similar to Moray), since the many terraces of Tipon contain different micro-climates that would have been useful for testing various crops. Others yet suggest that Tipon was a ritual garden, with the terraces constructed in a way that actually channels not only water, but also spirit and energy, from the surrounding mountains and springs into the crops that were likely grown on the terraces.