Dima and I flew to Cusco (3600 m above the sea level), and after continuous bargaining hired a cab for local sightseeing. I don't remember the beginning of our journey to Machu Picchu that well. It is located about 100 km from the capital of the Inca Empire, the city of Cusco, in the mountains at an altitude of 2450 meters above sea level and it is a place very hard to get to. Something that would fit into the investigations of Agent Mulder and Scully.Machu Picchu is a mysterious Inca city built in the middle of the 15th century and the main attraction for which travelers go on tours in Peru.
#ANCIENT CITIES PERU FULL#
In fact a lot of Maccu Picchu is not know and is full of theories and speculations. Some say it is very mysterious how they managed to build the citadel with basic tools. By looking closely at some of the bricks walls of the larger stones, you wonder how they managed to lift and fit them so closely together. One thing for sure is that they are superb craftsman. Scientist still speculate how the blocks of stones in the quarry were extracted and cut.
Interestingly they are not as big as the stones in saksaywaman or Ollantaytambo. Nearby is rock quarry where the stones that were used to build the complex is conveniently located. It is not known exactly what kind of rituals have taken place in the temple. Dedicated to the Inca's deity, the Sun God, it is also believed it acted as an astronomical observatory. A semi–circular tower makes this a distinctive landmark among the ruins. The final step is the spiritual plane or heavens represented by the Condor. The second step is the Jaguar or Puma, representing human life. The first step is symbolized by a a snake representing death or the underworld. It is a carved out of a cave under the temple of the sun, almost hidden away. The first main stop on our walk was the Royal Tomb. It felt a bit weird to be standing here in person at a view I had seen in photographs for many years. Unfortunately I did not book in advance and there were no tickets available today. You can actually climb to the top but you must book in advance as limited number are allowed up to the top per day. The mountain towering behind the famous ruins is Huayna Piccu (Wayna Picchu). As the morning went on the clouds were slowly moving away to reveal more of this magnificent city. Silvia then proceed to walk us through the ruins describing key areas and structures. The complex structure is built on a steep mountain with a plunging deep valley. Green terraces lined up the side of the hill to the ruins. The pathway to the entrance of the ruins had quite high steps and was a bit tiring this early in the morning.
It was grey, chilly morning with heavy clouds like a blanket over the brick ruins. The name Machu Piccu means ‘old peak’ in the Quecha language and constructed around 1400’s which is pretty amazing considering how high up in altitude it was overlooking the Urubamba river. This morning, having slept in the town below, we were heading back up to spend the day taking a closer look at Machu Picchu. It was closed to visitors so we had to wait till today to visit. We arrived at the end of the trail in the later afternoon at Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail four days before was a wonderful experience. Along with the Pyramids of Egypt, it was one of the first ancient ruins I learnt as a kid and wanted to visit one day. The day had finally arrive to visit Machu Picchu.
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