Chinchero: The Sacred Valley's Weaving Town (Complete Guide)

Chinchero usually ends up as a “pass-through” stop on the way to Moray and the Salt Mines, which is why a lot of people underrate it. That’s a mistake: it has its own history, its own architecture, and the most alive textile tradition in the whole Sacred Valley. This guide covers what’s actually worth seeing there and why it’s worth stopping, not just passing through.

A bit of history

According to tradition, Chinchero was the countryside retreat of the Inca Tupac Yupanqui, who ordered the construction of agricultural terraces, canals, and a palace here. After the Spanish conquest, a colonial church was built directly on top of the Inca palace’s foundations — the original stone wall, with its trapezoidal niches, still holds up a good part of the main plaza, with the whitewashed church sitting on top.

Local legend says Chinchero was born from a rainbow that touched down at this exact spot — which is why the town is also known as the “land of the rainbow.”

The textile market: the main reason to visit

Chinchero is the most important textile center in the Sacred Valley. Several local weavers’ associations keep the pre-Hispanic technique of spinning and backstrap-loom weaving alive, using alpaca and sheep wool.

At the demonstrations (offered by most community textile centers) you can see the full process:

1. Washing the wool with saqta root (a plant that creates natural foam)
2. Dyeing with natural pigments: cochineal (an insect that lives on the prickly pear cactus) for reds and pinks, various plants and minerals for blues, yellows, and greens
3. Hand-spinning with a traditional drop spindle
4. Backstrap-loom weaving, the same method documented since pre-Inca times

These demonstrations are usually free (the associations make their living from selling textiles, not charging admission), and it’s also where you’ll find the valley’s best-quality textiles, straight from the people who make them.

Market days

The craft market runs daily for tourists, but the traditional local trade market (less tourist-oriented) is especially active on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, generally until 2 or 3 pm — it’s worth arriving early.

The archaeological site

Behind the main plaza, well-preserved Inca agricultural terraces stretch out with views of the Sacred Valley’s snow-capped peaks. It’s a short visit (30-45 minutes on foot) but with far fewer crowds than Pisac or Ollantaytambo.

How to visit Chinchero: ticket and prices

Access to the archaeological site (not the market or the town itself, which are free) requires the Cusco Tourist Ticket (BTC), the same one used for Sacsayhuamán, Pisac, and Ollantaytambo:

Ticket type	Price (foreigner)	Validity	Includes Chinchero
Partial Circuit III (Sacred Valley)	S/ 70	2 days	Yes — along with Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Moray
Full/integral ticket (16 sites)	S/ 130	10 days	Yes

There’s no ticket just for Chinchero alone — if you’re only visiting Chinchero’s archaeological zone and nothing else on the circuit, you still need the partial Circuit III ticket or the full ticket.

How much time to budget

Between the plaza, the church, the terraces, and a full textile demonstration, plan on 1.5 to 2 hours. It’s a common stop on the way to Moray and the Maras Salt Mines — if you already have that visit planned, check our guide: Maras, Moray, and the Salt Mines: Complete Guide.

How to get there from Cusco

Chinchero is about 28 km from Cusco, roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour by car via the Cusco-Urubamba road. It’s actually a natural stop if you’re heading from the airport toward the Sacred Valley (Urubamba, Ollantaytambo) rather than into Cusco city — many travelers take advantage of that transfer to make a short stop here along the way.

Want to include Chinchero in your airport transfer to the Sacred Valley? Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll coordinate the stop without affecting your arrival time at the hotel.