d. Machu Picchu
Our visit to Machu Picchu (The Lost City of the Incas) was fabulous. This was a ceremonial location which was inhabited at some point during the period between 1200 and 1532 AD. It was one of the few Incan sites that was not captured by the Spanish. This site was rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an archeologist from Yale University. Its existence was unknown to the world until this rediscovery. Being there gives one a feeling of awe. So old, so well preserved, so sacred.
There are two means of arriving at Machu Picchu (excluding helicopters which are now prohibited due to the effect they have on ancient structures). One is what is normally a very exerting three day treck over the Inca Trail and the other is by train and bus. Those who choose to hike can hire guides, porters, and even cooks. When Bingham found this place, the train was not an option.
Arriving by train involves either hiking up the mountain (not the Inca Trail hike) or taking the bus. The bus road is just a bit windy.
For those who elect to hike the Inca Trail (and the people throughout history) they approach Machu Picchu like this:
The high building on the hillside was the guardhouse controlling entrance.
This is the historical entrance to the city.
We were extremely fortunate in that our tour company arranged for our staying at the Sanctuary Lodge, the only place with accomodations on the mountain with the ruins. It has very limited number of rooms and is extremely expensive although gourmet meals with wine and bar service were included in the price. It is owned by The Orient Express Company, the people who own that railroad in Europe and Asia.
Even the toilet paper roll had their seal on it.
The entrance normal people (not hiking the Trail) use. A plaque commeraing Bingham’s discovery.
After walking a few yards you come out from behind some rocks and see this view of the site:
The Urubambo River.
Note how well these smaller rocks are formed together.
Larger stones, note how they are cut and formed for a tight fit. In some instances throughout these pictures there are spaces between stones. They are not originally there, the stones shifted during recent earthquakes.
The puma or cougar was of major symbolic importance to the Inca. Using a small amount of imagination one can see that animal biting something in this formation.
This is a sundial. It did not keep time but was used to measure how far into a season they were and to estimate the beginning of ending of seasons. With this knowledge, the ruler (called the Inca) proved his skills in forecasting the future.
Some stone receptacles built into the floor.
This is an indoor bathroom. The drain is along the back wall.
These are large stones, note how well they were cut and put together.
Following three pictures are the Temple of the Sun.
We are going to take a break here and restart as a continuation in order to keep the number of pictures in this segment from getting too large and bogging down the system.
