Photos Of Machu Picchu, Peru

A classic view of the ruins, with Waynapicchu behind.

The Royal Residences section.  Uptown Machu Picchu

Looking north from the main plaza.

Lucky residents enjoyed incredible views.

Temple with fine stonework.

Incas - the original stairmasters.

The only circular building in Machu Picchu.  Fitted perfectly to stone below.

Sunrise at the Temple of three windows.

Insteresting stone details were everywhere.  This staircase was carved out of solid rock. 

Rooms with a view.

Temple of the three windows.

The wooden roof supports were tied to these stone pegs. 

Intiwatana, stone for tracking the sun.  Perhaps the most important stone in Machu Picchu.  These were typically destroyed by the Spanish.

Shallow dishes carved of solid stone.  When filled with water they make fine mirrors.

The caretakers said that often the Llamas come and drink all the water.

Subject carving in the Condor Temple.

Some of the many terraces at Machu Picchu.

Channels carved in a temple bench.  To drain blood away during scrifices?

Whimsical Inca stonework.

Great detail on a huge stone block.

Machu Picchu, Peru

     You may have heard that Machu Picchu was closed for a couple of months earlier this year due to flooding. The actual site is basically on top of a mountain, so the problem was not there, but down in the valley bottoms, where flooding killed several hundred people and caused widespread destruction. We saw plenty of the evidence as we made our way through the sacred valley towards Machu Picchu. Most towns were sporting a new bridge, and there was obvious damage to roads and railway. The train is only running the last section to the town of Aguas Calientes – this had to be fixed as no road exists in this section. From what we did see, do not expect the train to be running all the way to Cusco for some time.
     After arriving in Aguas Calientes late in the evening, I started things off right by spending several early morning hours being sick in the bathroom. Way to go! The next day as I basically could not get out of bed, Tana ran around rearranging our tickets to push everything back a day. By the next day I felt better so away we went – the others caught the 5AM bus, I held off until 9. The place must have some positive energy, because after that day I felt fine. The next day we all caught the early bus and spent a few more hours up there before departing.
     OK, so Machu Picchu itself? Insanely fabulous, as good as you might hope. Of course the ruins themselves are something, but as I arrived, two things stuck in my mind. 1) The view from up there is just stunning, and no photos can do it justice. 2) Being at the relatively low altitude (for Peru, anyway) of 2300 meters and surrounded by cloud forest, there are many tropical plants there, and the smell of the place reminded me very strongly of Hawaii.
     Due to the train being limited, there were fewer visitors around than normal, and we had plenty of time and were able to avoid what crowds there were. We wandered around the place scraping our jaws off the ground and pointing a lot, lying in the grass and petting the resident Llamas.
     Simply the sheer amount of work that went into the place, in such a remote location, was impressive. Not to mention the fine masonry in the temples, or the whimsical details in the stone walls and structures. But the thing I like best about Machu Picchu is the mystery. The Spanish never found the place (thank god, it was not wrecked like so many other Inca sites), and there is no direct record of why it was built or who lived there. We heard many stories from tour guides, some more believable than others. But the fact remains we will never really know the exact story. Down with history, up with mystery!

G

Photos of Pisac, Peru

Crowd enjoying the entertainment at Cuy Fest.

This dish got our vote for best presentation.

Roasting Cuy over the fire at the Cuy Festinval.

A couple of women watching the bustle of the market.

Lunch?  This Guinea Pig came straight out of the bag.  The woman was happy with it and carried it away by the nape of the neck.

Loved this woman's smile.

You rarely see people here with any gray hair.  The confetti was given in celebration of Mother's Day.

The flower and veggie section.  Flower business was brisk, perhaps because it was Mother's Day

(dia de la Madre)

Market day, Pisac.  Color everywhere.

Overlooking the temples of Pisac.  Sacred Valley far below on left.

Inca terraces.  An insane amount of work.

Fine stonework in temple of Pisac Ruins.

Defensive ruin overlooking Sacred Valley.

Stair going (painfully) straight up.

Built in steps on Inca terrace wall.

On the trail up to Pisac ruins, terraces of Sacred Valley below.

Dyed in the wool.

3 Colors of natural dye from a caterpillar that lives on Prickly Pear cactus.

Tana getting tips on raising Alpacas.

This alpaca was about 3 weeks old.

Miguel, our assistant tour guide

Pisac, Peru

     The town of Pisac is approximately 30km from Cusco and lies at the head of the sacred valley. The town is primarily known for Inca ruins located above the town, and a lively market held every Sunday. We were fortunate to see both during our stay there.
     Luckily, on the way our driver suggested we stop at a place to see Alpacas and Llamas, as it was “very interesting.” Indeed it was, as the site was run as a cooperative of local villages striving to maintain their textile heritage (starting with the animals to provide the wool) without help from any governmental or aid agencies. Our guide was ably assisted by her two year old son. All was in Spanish but we actually understood a fair bit of it. We visited and fed Alpacas and Llamas (some only a few days old), saw how the wool was spun and colored using natural dyes, and saw weavers from various villages performing their craft. The shop was filled with incredible craftwork – we were overwhelmed and vowed to return.
    Once in Pisac, we hiked up from the town, through the agricultural terraces the Incas built in the side of the mountans, to visit the ruins. Starting from approximately 2750 meters (9000 feet) we followed the Inca stairways straight up the mountain. After about an hour of huffing and puffing, we came across a local woman, her young daughter, and nursing infant selling some simple crafts while sitting in an Inca terrace. Tana could not help but reward this effort at sales location by buying a woven hatband from her. The woman threw in a couple pinches of coca leaves to help us on our way. We continued higher until the terraces gave way to defensive fortifications, and finally a set of magnificently constructed temples with a grand view of the sacred valley, now far below. We continued on towards the parking lot along a cliffside trail, through a tunnel, and along more terraces before hailing a taxi for a terrifying 10km ride back down to our hotel.  Drivers in mountainous Peru seem to have an aversion to using the brakes.
     On Sunday we got to the town center where the market is held around 8AM and watched as more and more vendors, locals, and tourists arrived. Many of the local women were dressed in their traditional clothes – the men, as elsewhere in the world, were more casual in their dress. Many booths were selling souveniers and locally produced crafts. There was also plenty of produce. The textile crafts and local costumes provided a plethora of festive colors, and the people watching was excellent.
     It also happened to be 1) Mother's Day and 2) The first annual City Of Pisac Cuy (Guinea Pig) festival. All of the mothers seemed to be rewarded with a sprinkle of confetti in their hair, so we got some for Tana as well. We found the Cuy Festival, which featured contests for roasted cuy and live Guinea Pigs (kind of a combination of livestock fair and BBQ cook-off), plenty of local costumes, and some live music.

Photos Of Saqsaywaman, Cusco Peru

We slid down the polished rock, as we imagined Inca kids did hundreds of years ago.

"The Inca's Throne", carved directly out of solid rock.

These are some seriously large stones, perfectly fitted together.

Zane looking over the ruins of Saqsaywaman, with the city of Cusco below in the valley.

Remaining stones are massive.  Note worker in center on upper wall.

Impressively large defensive walls.

Photos Of Qorikancha, Cusco Peru

Solar calendar.  The shadows from the protusion I am pointing to line up with those below on the solstices.

Can stonework be more precise?  No mortar here!

The projections of the sun through the year on this wall mark the Inca calendar.  Note the white line through the alcoves, this was the extent of the solid silver coating on the lower walls.

Platform believed to be used for sacrifices, including human.

Temples said to be dedicated to thunder and rainbow

Entryway for Inca Ruers.  Fantastic masonry.

Spanish masonry on fine Inca stonework.

Church of Santo Domingo, built over Inca's "Temple of the Sun"

Church most recently rebuilt after 1950. Foundation of Inca walls sustained minor damage.