A vital Inca road once snaked its way up the canyon that enters the Sacred Valley at PISAC, and the ruined citadel which sits at the entrance to the gorge controlled a route connecting the Inca empire with Paucartambo, on the borders of the eastern jungle. Nowadays, less than an hour by bus from Cusco, the village is best known for its good Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday morning market, held on the town’s main square, the Plaza Constitución, where you can buy hand-painted ceramic beads and pick up the occasional bargain. Even when the market’s not on, there are still a number of excellent _ artesania_ shops, particularly along Calle Bolognesi, which connects the Sacred Valley road and river bridge with the plaza. The Iglesia San Pedro Apostlo, on the plaza, is an unusually narrow concrete church, rather overshadowed by the lovely nearby trees and the bustle of commerce going on in front of it. The main local fiesta – Virgen del Carmen (July 16-18) – is a good alternative to the simultaneous but more remote Paucartambo festival of the same name, with processions, music, dance groups, the usual fire-cracking celebrations, and food stalls around the plaza.