The Urubamba Valley (traditionally called the Yucay Valley and most recently Sacred Valley) owes its name to the beauty and fertility of its land, and is dotted with picturesque Andean markets, impressive churches and remarkable Inca ruins. It stretches for approximately 180 kilometres north of Cuzco (toward Machu Picchu), and lies at an average of 2200 metres, approximately 1000 metres lower than the Cuzco. Hence the climate is much milder here making it the chosen area by the Incas and later Spanish Conquistadors as a resting place where they established their estates and country homes.