Salt+Ponds+of+Maras

=Salt Ponds of Maras=

Maras, Peru
The salt ponds in Maras, Peru were created before the Inca civilization as a system to collect salt that comes from the springs on the hillsides in Maras. The setup of ponds includes thousands of uneven square-shaped ponds on the slope of the hills. The people of the Chanapata culture created the salt ponds around AD 200 and AD 900. The series of ponds is located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, just a km from the town of Maras, which is forty km North of Cusco. The salt originally went to the people of Maras and then later became a valuable resource to the Incas. The salt comes from an altitude of 3,000 meters in the mountain range that long ago was part of the sea floor. Then the tectonic plates pushed up the seaboard forming the Andes. Sea salt was locked in the rocks, which then filters out through the Qori Pujio spring. Ponds were constructed to collect the output of the springs, collecting the salt along with it.

Each pond is less than four square meters and less than thirty centimeters deep. They were created by directing the salty water from the Qori Pujio spring through tiny channels that gradually travel down the hillside through each of the terraced ponds. The water in the ponds then evaporates, making the water supersaturated. The salt then forms into crystals on the pond’s inner walls and floor. The keepers of the ponds then work on collecting the water by first closing the water-feeding notch, which allows the pond to dry out. After a few days the keeper scrapes the dried salt from the sides and bottoms of the ponds. Once the salt is put into containers, the water-supply notch is opened again letting out water, which then carries the salt away. The process is then repeated in each pond to continue collecting lots of salt. The ponds still work through the same system today. The farming is organized through a communal system that allows prospective salt farmers to obtain an unmaintained pond. The new farmers are then able to farm the pond themselves and make a profit from the salt they collect. New farmers get ponds that are lower down the hillside. Top ponds are achieved over generations since the top ponds have better quality, pure white salt. The lower ponds are colored due to the sediment that collects.

The salt ponds of Maras have become a tourist attraction in the recent decade. For just a 10 sole admission fee, you can follow the steep steps down to the ponds to observe farmers at work. If visiting, dip your hand into the stream to feel the warm water that tastes like sea salt. The admission fees help support families in the cooperative who work hard in the salt mines. On the top of the hill there are shops that sell the pink salt, salted snacks, bath salts, and exfoliating scrubs. The salt collected on these Peruvian hills has found to be very good for you. It contains magnesium, iron, calcium, and zinc, which can help to reduce stress, prevent anemia and osteoporosis. It also can buffer blood sugar levels, helping to prevent diabetes. There are also healing benefits in the rose quartz hidden within the salt. The salt is very popular all across Peru. Many chefs use it in their dishes and can be found at many dining tables in Peruvian restaurants.

By: Hannah Jackson