Machu Pichu

Leaving Puno on the Peruvian shore of Lake Titicaca, we traveled by bus to the city of Cuzco, 'the navel of the world', once the capital of the Inca empire. There had been ongoing mass protests by local teachers, and we were warned of burning couches, cars, and large stones blocking the road. Fortunately, we ran into none, just an awesome view of the sacred valley as we passed through. From Cuzco we visited the nearby ruins of Pisac and Sacsayhuaman after a long night/early morning of drinking in the tourist filled capital with people from all over the world.

We hopped aboard yet another bus and spent a few hours more in impossibly cramped conditions, it being the end of the school day and the bus being the main form of transportation for many of the students. There were even bouts of shoving and face-slapping by parents and bus ayudantes.

We arrived in the village below the ancient fortress city of Ollantaytambo, where the train line begins for the trip farther into the Andes to the small town below the ruins of Machu Picchu. Along the way, the train follows the banks of the Urubamba River, where you can see several archeological sites nestled along the foothills of the valley also named Urubamba.

Only having two weeks to spend in Peru, I opted not to take the legendary Inca Trail, which takes anywhere from 3 to 5 days. Also, I wasn't nor am in any sort of shape for high altitude hiking.

At the end of the line, a small village built mainly by tourist dollars acts as a launching point for tours to the ruins. Buses and vans leave regularly to the popular site. We caught an early one and were rewarded with a less populated experience, though fog and a light rain also accompanied us.

Machu Picchu--Quechua for 'Old Peak'--stands on a mountain top over 7500 feet above sea level and is believed to have at one time sustained a population of around 10,000. Parts of the mountaintop were carved into terraces used for agriculture. The site was probably constructed by the great conqueror and builder, Pachacuti Inca, after the defeat of the Chanca people in 1438, marking the beginning of the great Inca expansion.

Around 80% of the skeletal remains found here were female, leading many archeologists to believe the site was more of a retreat at the end of a long walk of pilgrimage to a sacred place for the Inca priestesses. It was a place where mummies could be kept and brought out for festivals.

Adding to the splendor of this incredible architectural endeavor are the sweeping views of the surrounding mountaintops and jungle valleys. Although it is unknown whether the Spanish conquistadores ever saw the city, some sixteenth-century documents do mention its name.
Rediscovered in 1911 by Yale archeologist Hiram Bingham, many of the artifacts found there are only now being returned to Peru for conservation and research.

I've been fortunate enough to visit Tikal, Copan, Mesa Verde, Cancuen...many of the cities left behind by the early people of the western hemisphere. Looking for a place comparable to this one could keep me busy for decades.