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The
Colca
Canyon
is one
of
the
deepest
in the
world,
and
astonishing
in
beautiness.
It is
more
than
twice as
deep as
the
Grand
Canyon
in the
United
States.
The
Colca
Valley
is a
colorful
Andean
valley
with
towns
founded
in
Spanish
colonial
times
and
formerly
inhabited
by the
Collaguas
and the
Cabanas.
The
local
people
still
maintain
ancestral
tradition
and
continue
to
cultivate
the pre
- Inca
stepped
terraces.
The name
Colca
refers
to small
holes in
the
cliffs
in the
valley
and
canyon.
These
holes
were
used in
Inca and
pre -
Inca
times to
store
food,
such as
potatoes
and
other
Andean
crops.
They
were
also
used as
tombs
for
important
people.
The
canyon
is home
to the
Andean
Condor (
vultur
gryphus
) which
can be
seen at
fairly
close
range as
they fly
through
the
canyon
walls
and are
an
icreasingly
popular
attraction.
The La
Caleta
natural
hot
springs
are
located
at
Chivay,
the
biggest
town in
the
Colca
Canyon.
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