Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, Cusco Peru

Are you a restless pilgrim looking for an amazing place to make your pilgrimage?

Whatever you believe in, you will surely find resonance with your inner self through beauty. Many footsteps have been laid down before yours en route to this magnificent site. The overwhelming natural spectacle of mountains, the amazing variety of plants and animals that inhabit this corner of the world, not to mention the grace of the ancient Inca ruins will feed your soul.

The UNESCO label of Cultural Heritage of Humanity is a logically accurate one but there is no label, Wonder of the World included, that truly captures what Machu Picchu just simply is.

The mark of a master architect is in the creation of shapes and use of materials that are at harmony with their surroundings. Few modern day professionals, if any, manage to do what the Incas seem to have perfected nearly 500 years ago, without CAD or computers, laser beams or diamond tipped cutting machines.

The Incas were masters of a technique called dry stone walling which is to say that they cut stone to fit perfectly without the need for mortar or cement of any kind. Machu Picchu is the most well preserved and archeologically relevant of the Inca sites.

There are various theories as to why the site was chosen and what the purpose of the settlement was. One thing is certain, it must have been very important to them to put this much energy, time and devotion to building it.

According to historical accounts, the lost city was only populated for roughly a hundred years where after interaction with the Spanish and their conquistadors changed the course of their history. When American archaeologist Hiram Bingham began his study of Machu Picchu in 1911, some Quechua people were living in the ruins the Incas had left behind.

The overwhelming natural spectacle of mountains, the amazing variety of plants and animals that inhabit this corner of the world, not to mention the grace of the ancient Inca ruins will feed your soul.

Many westerners would like to take credit for discovering or rediscovering the site. Perhaps a millennium from now, someone can rediscover New York, London or Cape Town. What an achievement that wouldn’t be…

The site is nearly 2,500 metres above sea level. The Urubamba River lies at the bottom of cliffs, half a kilometre up, surrounding a large portion of the city nestled within. A fact concealed in the mornings when the mist conceals the dizzying drop.

There is a 4 day and 2 day hike to the site but the infirm and insane can take a mix of busses and trains to get there. At last check, tickets to the ruins were going for the equivalent of $45 (USD). Visitors are advised that only Peruvian Soles, the local currency, is accepted at the ticket office in the town of Aguas Calientes.

The site does see many, many tourists so plan your trip carefully. There is a hotel nearby to the site but it is fairly expensive. Those making the hike camp in the outdoors but not in the site itself.

Take a guided tour, bring a history book along with you or just simply take in the beauty. The choice is yours, the stones and other artefacts are not.

Photo by: kudumomo