DAY 4, Nov 30, 2014:
Machu Picchu is believed to have been built by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the ninth ruler of the Inca, in the mid-1400s. Machu Picchu is located on a ridge between the Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu mountains in Peru.
It sits 7,970 feet (2,430 meters) above sea level on the eastern slope of the Andes and overlooks the Urubamba River hundreds of feet below.
Huayna Picchu (the green peak, shaped like a rhino horn, that appears in the background of Machu Picchu citadel.) is the peak to viewer right here
Una Picchu is the one to the left. Huchuy Picchu is the even smaller peak between Huayna and Una Picchu:
Almost no one bothers to ascend the pinnacle that anchors the opposite end of the site... Machu Picchu Mountain. At 1,640 feet it is twice as tall, and the views it offers of the area surrounding the ruins—especially the white Urubamba River winding around Machu Picchu like a coiled snake—are spectacular.
Our hotel had given as a packed breakfast the previous evening and asked us to keep our packed bags and the key inside the room as we left in the morning. We could close the door shut/locked as we exited. As it was a Sunday the reception staff would come in later, collect our bags from the room and keep it with them till we returned from MP and were ready to leave. We had only a small bag and had left the rest at Ollanaytambo. Only one 5 kg bag per person is allowed on the train to and from Machu Picchu!
5.30am, we boarded the MP bus.
There are several taking off one after another. After a 20 min ride up, reached the famed entrance.
We had to checkin our hiking poles—only people above 60 years allowed to use them.
We had to checkin our hiking poles—only people above 60 years allowed to use them.
We had bought our tickets to MP online a month ago. There are only limited tickets for a day... can't expect to walk up and buy one at the counter.
Machu Picchu was constructed as a royal estate of sorts, the presence of elite residences in the northeast sector of the site backing that idea up. It would have been used by the emperor and his family as a temporary respite, the site supporting a small number of year-round caretakers.
Almost as impressive as the ruins themselves is the spectacular backdrop of steep, lush, and often cloud-shrouded mountains. Standing near the caretaker's hut, looking out over Machu Picchu, the jungle covered mountains, and the river far below, it is not hard to imagine why the Incas chose this place to build their city.
Guard's hut...
Surprisingly there was a crowd at that early hour and many hired guides to take them around. We had read up a lot and had our own notes and map. We decided to ditch the crowd, went our own way following our map. There were clouds and a little fog for the first half an hour.
Alpacas grazing ...
this place is full of pesky sandflies. People were being bitten to pieces by sand flies, we had been adequately warned thanks to the huge thread on that topic in this forum. We had OFF Towelettes, we wiped ourselves well, we were also wearing full sleeves and long trousers. Despite that I had 6 bites on my hands and it itched for a week!
The royal residences have highly polished and well crafted stone work while the other stone masonry is utilitarian. All use trapezoidal openings/niches with broad bases to withstand earthquake. NO MORTAR ANYWHERE!
To the left of the royal tomb lies a series of 16 ceremonial baths, joined by one linked aqueduct system.
Royal Tomb: This cave-like area behind contains ceremonial niches and an Inca cross carved from one wall and is adjacent to the Temple of the Sun.
A boulder carved into a stairway lies near the cave entrance and the underground chamber likely served a religious function of some form. The cross resembles a series of steps, and represents the three levels of existence in the world of the Inca. The first step, symbolized by the snake, represents the underworld or death. The second step represents the present, human life, and is symbolized by the jaguar. The highest step represents the celestial/spiritual plane of the gods, and is symbolized by the condor.
Inside the Royal Tomb numerous mummy excavations had been made. Of more than 100 skeletal remains discovered here, 80% were women. This fact, among others, leads many historians to surmise that the area was inhabited primarily by high priests and chosen women.
This is the temple of the Sun...
Machu Picchu has a number of structures that enhance the spiritual significance of the site.
One of them, the “Temple of the Sun,” or Torreón, has an elliptical design similar to a sun temple found at the Inca capital of Cuzco. It is located near where the Inca emperor is believed to have resided at Machu Picchu. A rock inside the temple could have served as an altar. During the June solstice the rising sun shines directly into one of the temple’s windows, and this indicates an alignment between the window, rock and solstice sun.
Beneath the temple lies a cave, naturally formed, which the explorer Bingham referred to as a “royal mausoleum,”
Hiram Bingham came across Machu Picchu in 1911 and believed until his death that it was the "Lost City of the Incas," first documented by Spanish soldiers in the 1500s. However, historians believe the real lost city of the Incas was at Espíritu Pampa, a ruin Bingham knew of but discounted as being insignificant.
This Temple of the Condor is a great example of Inca stone masonry. A natural rock formation began to take shape millions of years ago and the Inca skillfully shaped the rock into the outspread wings of a condor in flight. On the floor of the temple is a rock carved in the shape of the condor's head and neck feathers, completing the figure of a three-dimensional bird. The head of the condor was used as a sacrificial altar. Under the temple is a small cave that contained a mummy.
A prison complex stands directly behind the temple, and is comprised of human-sized niches and an underground maze of dungeons. According to historical chronicles that documented similar Inca prison sites, an accused citizen would be shackled into the niches for up to 3 days to await the deliberation of his fate. He could be put to death for such sins as laziness (!!), lust, or theft.
It's lower and thus easier to climb (though it does have a short rope portion), and it is not too high to see the details of MP as many find the views from HP to be.
To get to it you do have to buy a HP ticket. However I came across this report by some one online. Don't know how true this is... looks attractive though!
"There is a small trail that branches off soon after the gate house. The sign is titled “Huchuy Picchu” it’s impossible to miss. This is like a mini-Huayna Picchu experience with the exception that you will almost certainly be the only ones here and can have your personal viewing platform of Machu Picchu with an excellent view of Intihuatana and the Unfinished Temple. At the summit admire the views and watching lizards, birds, insects, ants (human and real), etc. go about their daily routine. The entire climb takes maybe 15 minutes; it was in some ways just as gratifying as climbing Una’s better-known neighbor and provided a nice wrinkle/coda in the entire Machu Picchu experience."
The Sacred Rock:
Just down the steps from Intihuatana and across the Sacred Plaza is the Sacred Rock, a massive piece of granite curiously shaped like the Inca’s sacred mountain of Putukusi, which looms on the eastern horizon.
It serves as the gateway to Huayna Picchu.
Before a village could be erected, a sacred stone must be dedicated to the site. The Sacred Stone of Machu Picchu sits at the base of Huayna Picchu (little peak) and the outline is a replica of the mountain.
This is the Sacred Plaza. Surrounding the plaza are the most important buildings of the city.
Three-Windowed Temple And Sacred Stone (Intihuatana):
The kite-shaped sacred stone sitting in the small square around the temple is thought to represent the Southern Cross constellation.
Temple of 3 windows: these 3 windows represent a part of the Incan world: The underground (Uku-Pacha), the heaven (Hanan-Pacha) and the earth/present or the actual time (Kay-Pacha). These windows also face the rise of the sun, an important event in the everyday life of the Inca population.
The Principal Temple is an example of excellent Inca stonemasonry, with its large stone blocks polished smooth and joined perfectly. note the Southern Cross Stone At Lower Left wall Of The Principal Temple.Southern Cross Stone Points To The Highly Evolved Red Giant Star Gacrux Or Gamma Crucis In The Southern Cross Constellation Every Year On May 2.
Earthquake damage can be seen here....amazing that the stones have just moved but not collapsed!
Intihuatana:
The Intihuatana (also called the Saywa or Sukhanka stone) is a polygonal-shaped Sacred Stone, commonly known as the "Sundial". The Intiwatana, the "hitching post of the sun" is a carved rock pillar whose four corners are oriented toward the four cardinal points. The Inca were accomplished astronomers, and used the angles of the pillar to predict the solstices. The sun exerted a crucial influence on the agriculture, and therefore the well-being of the whole society. It was considered the supreme natural god. The high priest would rope a golden disc to the Intiwatana, to symbolically catch the sun and bring it back toward earth for another year's cycle of seasons.
It is designed to hitch the sun at the two equinoxes, not at the solstice (as is often stated tourist literature). At midday on March 21st and September 21st, the sun stands almost directly above the pillar, creating no shadow at all. At this precise moment the sun "sits with all his might upon the pillar" and is for a moment "tied" to the rock. At these periods, the Incas held ceremonies at the stone in which they "tied the sun" to halt its northward movement in the sky.
The Intiwatana here is the only one of its kind not lopped off by the Spanish conquerors, who made a point of destroying all implements of Inca religion.
There is also an Intihuatana alignment with the December solstice (the summer solstice of the southern hemisphere), when at sunset the sun sinks behind Pumasillo (the Puma's claw), the most sacred mountain of the western Vilcabamba range, but the shrine itself is primarily equinoctial.
Machu Picchu is one of the Earth's magnetic focal points, and carries an inherent spiritual or metaphysical power. When we sit at the edge of the Sacred Plaza overlooking the Urubamba River below, the stone temples and plazas to the front, and the mountain peaks of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu to the left and right, we feel the magic!!
Adjacent to the Sacred Plaza (on the opposite side from the Intihuatana Shrine) is the Stone Quarry. There are many granite stones lying about and this most certainly was convenient for the Inca stone masons. There is one stone nearby that Hiram Bingham tried to split by using hot water, but it did not work.
This is the trail to the Sungate.. Intipunku; we started on it, but were bugged by incessant sand flies.
The sun was up and blazing by 10.30, crowds were coming in, so we reluctantly bid goodbye to the awesome site.
We had a snack of our last batch of paratas and tomato relish brought from home, sitting at this bench... so scenic.
We had been scared to sit elsewhere because of the sand flies. Surprisingly a girl was immersed in her book and totally ignored the glorious scene around... well, it takes all sorts to make this world so interesting!!
Very happy with the whole visit... it had been AWESOME!1
Went down to the bus stop... not through the Guard's hut but another way... here's the Paradero...stop.
Took the 11.30 bus back to Aguas Calientes, meeting several buses coming up with loads of passengers.
Walked around enjoying the ambience and did some window shopping. We had wanted to hike to the falls but the sandflies made us drop the idea.
Incan chararcters in all games and scenes... like nativity etc... HA HA!
We had bought the 4.30 Expedition ticket back to Ollantaytambo. We talked to the Perurail officials, they traded the tickets for the Vistadome leaving at 1. Very sweet of them. [There are several trains plying to Aguas Caliente during the day and we have to book both the to and fro journey picking our specific time. There are 3 different categories too... like I said e had booked the Expedition which did not have the snack and entertainment option and costed a little less.... we had found the timings right for us. They changed the ticket to earlier costlier train without any hassle and without charging us for the difference!!]
On the vista dome... sun streaming in through the glass windows in the roof...
They gave us snacks and a drink. We got the non alcoholic drink
Inca Kola... hugely popular and iconic beverage in Peru. The yellow, sweet, carbonated soft drink's ingredients: carbonated water, sugar, citric acid, sodium benzoate, caffeine and lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora or Aloysia triphylla), known in Peru (and throughout the Andes) as Hierba Luisa. Lemon verbena is a perennial shrub growing to 2–3 m high. The 8 cm long glossy, pointed leaves emit a powerful scent reminiscent of lemon when bruised. This plant is quite common in family gardens in certain parts of Peru, where it is used as an infusión (herbal tea) and to add flavor to cold drinks, sorbets and some savory dishes.
Pancake sandwich and fruits served complimentary at vistadome trip... quite good.
They put up a dance and fashion show... the Puma guy invited me to dance and here goes.
Back at Ollantaytambo... we took a taxi from the train station to our hotel though it is a short distance... did not want to pant up for 20 minutes...
OLLANTAYTAMBO:
We had left behind our luggage taking only a small bag. We had a bigger, better room now... with our own sit out...
The resident cat came in through this open window at midnight and snuggled in son's bed... causing quite a fracas! ha ha!
This is the reception.
The Incan walls of the road...
We enjoyed a walk in the early morning to the famed Apu lodge to admire in close quarters Wirakocha- the creator god - chiseled into the mountain face.
This is Apu Pinkuylluna, the mountain that towers over the town.... in the shade... it houses the granaries....
(Note the likeness of Viracocha carved into the sacred mountain.) We did not attempt the hike up here.
We had asked Marco to pick us up at 8am , tour Chinchero before dropping us off at our apartment
at San Blas Cusco.
Had our breakfast and set off... detailed report of our day 5 and 6 is here:
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2017/06/peru-trip-report-day-5-chinchero-cusco.html
The resident cat came in through this open window at midnight and snuggled in son's bed... causing quite a fracas! ha ha!
This is the reception.
The Incan walls of the road...
Day 5, Dec 1, 2014:
We enjoyed a walk in the early morning to the famed Apu lodge to admire in close quarters Wirakocha- the creator god - chiseled into the mountain face.
This is Apu Pinkuylluna, the mountain that towers over the town.... in the shade... it houses the granaries....
Had our breakfast and set off... detailed report of our day 5 and 6 is here:
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2017/06/peru-trip-report-day-5-chinchero-cusco.html
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