Mara Salt Mines are located over the slopes of Cori Pujio mountain in Sacred Valley near Cusco, Peru. These are pre-Inca salt ponds that have been in operation for over 500 years. It’s a UNESCO Tentative World Heritage Site.
There are over 3000 ponds owned by various local families. These ponds are filled with salt water through an underground network of canals. Water slowly evaporates over time, leaving behind the crystallized salt that is later extracted.
For more information on the history of the site as well as how the salt mines work, please check the UNESCO website.
We had a via ferrata tour in the morning. A visit to Mara Salt Mines was part of our tour at the end before we were dropped off at our hotel. But there are also many other local tours that offer day trips to Maras.
Facing the Sacred Valley.
Over 3000 salt ponds.
We walked along the salt ponds and were able to see the ponds up close.
The salt mines are still in operation. Salt was being extracted by local families while we were there visiting.
Extracted salt.
Learning about the history and how salt was extracted at these mines was very interesting!