Friday, February 6, 2015

February 4, 2015-February 6, 2015

Sorry this has taken so long.  Being in the "middle of nowhere" has it's disadvantages like no Internet, no phone, no satellite signals and no TV!!!!  We are finally back in touch and able to communicate.

We arrived in Aguas Calientes, the access point to Machu Picchu, The Lost City of the Incas, just as it was for the explorer Hiram Bingham on January 29, 2015 ( our 43rd Anniversary!)  The small town is a lively blend of bright colors and excitement as tourist prepare for the final leg of the journey to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  In our case, it involved another bus ride up the mountain’s rocky series of switchbacks, so narrow, that on the curves if we encountered a returning bus, one would have to back up to allow the other to pass. Since my FitBit counts movement…I was able to log a “step” with each bounce!  It gave me a record day!

When at last we rounded the last curve and Machu Picchu came into view, all of the above proved worth it.  We had one of those OMG! moments. How the 1000+ Incas found this mountain top location, let alone manage to build this granite citadel in the fifteenth century is beyond comprehension. Located between the Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, it is a secluded location surrounded by towering mountains and dense forest. Standing 2,430 meters above sea level, in the midst of a tropical mountain forest in an extraordinarily beautiful setting, Machu Picchu was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height.  Its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments.  Set on the site of a granite mountain sculpted by erosion and dominating a meander in the Rio Urubamba it is a world renowned archaeological site. In 1983, UNESCO declared Machu Picchu a Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Local farmers called the mountain Machupicchu, which means “old mountain”, but Hiram Bingham referred to the site as “The Lost City of the Incas”. Bingham was a historian, politician, aviator and explorer.  In 1909 He began his explorations of the Peruvian Andes in the attempt to discover the place where Manco Inca, according to the legend, had hidden Inca treasure from the Spanish conquerors.  In Cusco he made contact with farmers from Mando who informed him that on the steep surrounding hillsides were ancient buildings. While traveling through the Sacred Valley of the Incas along the Urubamba River, they met a farmer named Melchor Arteaga who gave the explorer information about the “ruins” at the top of the Old Mountain (Machupicchu) and received a one coin tip for his trouble.  When Bingham reached the mountain, he found two families farming its steep sides. The men were not interested in taking the explorer up the mountain, but one child, the son of one of the families, led Bingham into the archaeological remains that were covered and hidden by years of vegetation.  Bingham is credited with the “rediscovery” of the Inca village, but the child has the title of the first “tour guide”!

As you will see from the pictures, there are areas that have been restored and areas that are as they were discovered after the vegetation was removed. It is a sight that cannot accurately be described in words, or even pictures. The layers of terraces and community structures prove that they possessed great knowledge of math, engineering, astronomy and farming. There are multiple structures whose architecture perfectly aligned with the position and influence of the stars and sun throughout the year. Another mystery is why these Incas left this city.  Excavation evidence points to them leaving voluntarily. There was only 1 gold bracelet found and 112 female skeletons.


Rick was the only member of our group who made it all the way to the Guardhouse located at the top of the terracing, so he was able to get some amazing “bird’s eye views” and encounters with the wild llamas that live on the mountain.  Hope you enjoy the pictures more posted on Parts 2 & 3.

Cheers!

Aguas Calientas, the access point to Machu Picchu with the Rio Urbama River
Entering "The Lost City of the Incas"

The tree in the center marks the city's main plaza

Terraces were built for planting crops. These on the East side lead up to the Guardhouse
which is the point where Rick hiked to get the great overhead pictures.

Looking up to the Temple Zone

Wild llamas that live on the mountain

Fresh water was retrieved through a series of well designed canals chiseled into the granite

This is a good view of how Incas used existing boulders on which to base the terraces,
as well as buildings for stability
A view of the Rio Urbama River below the city.  This type of vegetation covered
the ruins when Bingham was shown where they were hidden.

The East agriculture sector with storage buildings in the background



















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