Felipe Marin Moreno Botanic Garden

Pisac, Peru, Peru

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The Felipe Marín Moreno Botanic Garden is a peaceful, hidden botanical garden located in the middle of Písac, a village in Peru's Sacred Valley about 33 kilometers from Cuzco at 2,972 meters altitude near the Urubamba River. Created in 1917 by Peruvian botanist and explorer Felipe Marín Moreno in what is essentially a large courtyard of an old colonial house, the garden was used as an experimental site where Marín Moreno built up his collection over years through correspondence with botanists and institutions worldwide who sent seeds and samples. Today operated by Felipe's son José, who often guides visitors on weekends, the garden was recently opened to visitors after being declared part of Peru's historical heritage by the Minister of Culture and is also known as an ethnobotanic garden emphasizing the relationship between local communities and plant biodiversity. Though not large, it showcases 200 varieties of Peruvian potatoes out of Peru's 3,000 total, 12 varieties of Peru's national flower Kantu (Cantua buxifolia), jasmine, fruit trees, roses, medicinal plants, and plants used for nutritional and ceremonial purposes reflecting the region's rich ethnobotanical heritage, plus it features an open-air museum with butterflies, beetles, and insects including the cochineal beetle that produces the deep red dye used in local weavings, and a small potato museum in the far left corner.