No visit to Peru is complete without a visit to Machu Picchu. Located high in the Andean Mountains not visible from the valley below, this city has been re-discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. Besides the fascinating Inca architecture and scale of this site, Machu Picchu owns much of its glory to the unique location. Every time you enter the city, you cannot help it but have to gasp. Sometimes called the Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu is not Vilcabamba, the last stronghold of the Incas, the city Bingham was looking for. Nor is it Paititi, the City of Gold or El Dorado. In fact most of the history of Machu Picchu is unknown, even though there are many books on the subject, a lot of their content is pure speculation. Ironically, Bingham had already found Vilcabamba without realizing it.
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Enough of the superlatives, once you have seen Machu Picchu you will understand why I am so fascinated.
The big unknown history
As I mentioned before, not a whole lot is known about Machu Picchu. There is a lot of speculation, why the city has been "lost" for such a long time. Many colliding theories exist. In fact, there are still a whole bunch of lost cities in the area. For a long time adventurers have been looking for Paititi, which keeps eluding scientists, archeologists and treasure hunters.
Some talk of a secret city that only a few selected Inca knew about. Since the city was so large and collaboration with the Spanish very common, it is unlikely that the city could have been kept a secret. Today, some of the most popular theories assume that the city had been abandoned and "forgotten" before the arrival of the Spanish. Since the city was constructed only shortly before their arrival, it could not have been "forgotten" by accident. Maybe some kinds of unbelievably terrible thing made the Inca choose to forget the city and wipe the existence from their history records (oral records).
What purpose did the city serve? Again there is a lot of speculation, but little hard evidence. Some believe that it was a holiday retreat for the royalty of Cusco others believe that the city had mainly religious purposes and others again believe that it was some sort of science station. There is evidence for either of the theories. The location and the presence of royal temples support the first theory. Sacrilegious remains lead to speculation of human sacrifices. Solar calendars and star observatories support the second and the third theory.
The nearby Temple of the Moon has just recently been opened to the public. It is a 3-hour strenuous round trip hike to the temple.
The location of the city made it easily defendable. Drawbridges and steep trails would have made it virtually impossible to conquer the city. Was it some sort of ancient fortress then? Agricultural Terraces would have put out enough food to sustain the city indefinitely. Frequent rain brings water so the city would have been able to sustain a siege for a long time.
Ask one of the new age people who visit the city frequently and you will hear a lot more theories. In fact the city attracts an interesting crowd of tourists, historians, archeologists, New Age Hippies and others.
When you imagine the incredible power of the Inca Empire that spread over 4000 miles (north to south) in such a short time and produced such marvelous engineering wonders, it is not hard to see why people are drawn here. The Empire lasted less than 100 years until the Spaniards came; yet the Inca are one of the most mysterious civilizations that ever existed. Their powers can only bee explained by supernatural forces right?
Well I don't think so; they were well organized, diligent and ingenious.
Tour of the City
If you arrive by Bus from Aquas Calientes, you will enter the city through the agricultural sector. Those who choose to take on the Inca Trail will enter the city from the highest vintage point. Machu Picchu will lie to their feet as a reward for their long and stressful journey. No matter how they enter the city, most people suddenly stop and try to digest what their optic nerve transmits to their brains. Yes, all of us had seen many pictures before but nothing can quite prepare one for the real experience. The city hugs the mountain, behind it towers the mystic Huayna Picchu with some Inca Structures on top.
If you want to get a good impression, check out this 222 Megapixel Image that I shot from a high point. You can zoom in and see every little detail.
The little map below has numbers on it. You will find the corresponding numbers in the text below. Click on the map to open it in a seperate browser window.
Farming Sector
Assuming that you arrived comfortably by bus from Aquas Calientes, you will enter the city through the main entrance (1) and walk past the Guard Houses (2). From here you will already have a fantastic view. The terraces were built for farming and vary in size with the varying slope of the mountain. Some believe that the terraces may have had other purposes, like securing the mountains from seismic activity.
If those were farming terraces, they would have made the city completely self-sufficient.
Caretakers Hut, a good overview
If you are still fit enough, you could climb up towards the Caretakers Hut (4) for an overview of the site. From up here, you can see every place in the city and plan your attack. It is also a wonderful photo opportunity.
The Caretakers hut is the only house on this side of the mountain. Again the location was what gave it its name. This is also the place where intrepid adventurers who took the Inca Trail arrive. The hut may thus have served as a guard barracks for fearless warriors guarding the cities entrances (again my own interpretation).
At this point you may be wondering why I am throwing around theories. Well, most of what we know about Machu Picchu at this point has been theorized anyways. The construction of this house (one completely open side, facing the side of the trail) leaves room for other interpretations. Bingham was not foremost an archeologist, but an explorer. Yet today we still mostly stick to the names he gave the sections of the city.
On the farming terraces and up here is the best place to spot Llamas.
At first we were quite fond of those creatures, until a little incident made us completely avoid them. While I was busy backing up photos on my portable Image Tank, a herd of them decided to check us out. At first I did not mind, until I was amidst them and the still came closer and closer, almost pushing me over. With them came a giant swarm of big and ugly bugs that engulfed us. The whole incident was a terrible experience.
Behind the Caretakers Hut you can find the Funeral Rock. It probably was used as some sort of morticians slab, where people were put, after their organs had been removed, to be mummified by the dry mountain sun and the cold nights.
Upper Building Complex (5)
After resting and enjoying the view from the Caretakers Hut for a while, it is time to explore the city. When you step down from the Caretakers Hut towards the Upper Building Complex, you will see the Entrance Gate (6) straight ahead. On the inside one can see the parts of the locking mechanism, suggesting that the gate had some sort of wooden door.
If you step through the gate, you will be in the Upper Building Complex. This was one of the main housing areas of the city.
Temple of the Sun and Royal Tomb (7)
The Temple of the Sun is a round tapered tower. The stonework of this temple is some of the finest in the city, outlining its importance. In the center of the temple is a carved rock with a straight edge. During the Summer solstice, this edge will precisely align with the light falling through the only window of the temple.
Observing the sun was very important to the Inca. During the winter solstice (when the Sun is furthest from the Earth), the Inca would hold a festival, which included sacrifice to bring the sun back.
Below the Sun Temple one can find the Royal Tomb, where it is said that Bingham found the remains of some important people. Unfortunately you cannot enter the Tomb, but you can have a peek inside.
Entrance into the Temple of the Sun is prohibited, but you can look inside from the structure above it.
Next to the Temple of the Sun stands a two-story building that got named Princess Palace. The stonework of this building with slightly inclining walls is better than that of most ordinary houses. This fact and the fact that it is bigger than most other housing structures suggest that someone important lived here (maybe even a Princess, who knows).
District of the Sun (8)
Here you will find the main bath. Water had a great importance among the Inca too and ritual baths were common among the royals. Water was worshipped among the Inca.
The fountains are supplied with water from a spring about 1km away through underground canals. It then flows from one tub to another sometimes disappearing in the ground just to reappear somewhere else. It is amazing to see this ancient system still working. Evidently it does not need much maintenance, unlike our "modern" irrigation systems.
Above the fountains stands a 3-walled building that supposedly was used by the priests to perform rituals of water worship. If you ask me it was a massage studio or a sauna.
During the dry season, you may not see a lot of water, because the Hotel at the entrance uses most of it.
Quarry (9) and Royal Sector (10)
The quarry is where the Inca got their building material. Obviously they were not finished with Machu Picchu when they suddenly deserted it. Here you can find an interesting stone, where you can see how they used to split the stones.
There is a line of wedge-shaped impressions. I think they may have put in some sort of wet wooden wedges and waited for the cold night to freeze the wedges and split the stone.
The Royal Sector or Royal Palace has larger, roomier buildings than the normal living quarters. It is located between the baths, the Temple of the Sun and close to the Sacred Plaza. It is therefore speculated that the leader, ruler or great pumba lived here (I made up the last).
There is an unspectacular carved rock at the center of the main building that may have been some altar or coffee table.
Temple of the Three Windows, Sacred Plaza, Principal Temple, Sacristy (11)
You really cannot miss the Sacred Plaza, because this is where the hordes of guided tours will stand around and hand the plaza over to one another. One tour leaves another one arrives. When you are up near the Caretakers Hut, simply look for the largest crowd and you will be looking toward this Plaza or towards Intihuatana (right behind).
The plaza is flanked by temples and located relatively high in a central spot. It was most likely the most important religious place where all the important rituals and ceremonies took place.
The Temple of the Three Windows (what an ingenious name) is a three-walled structure constructed of some of the largest stones carved and smoothed with precision. Its windows face the rising sun. Part of the eastern wall is cut from a very large stone the temple rests on.
The Principal Temple stands next to the Temple of the Three Windows, northwest of the Sacred Plaza. It too has only three walls. So why not call it the Temple of the Three Walls, wouldn't that go nicely with the Temple of the Three Windows? The rear wall has 7 finely carved niches while the other two walls have 5 of those. They were most likely for displaying religious items.
On the opposite site of the temple stands a huge polished rock. It is probably some sort of altar or table.
Behind the temple lies the Sacristy, named this way for its location. Here priests may have prepared for the messes.
Intihuatana (12)
Intihuatana means "Hitching Post of the Sun". Every major Inca Center had one of these. Until today the meaning of this Stone has not been completely understood. It was most likely some sort of solar observatory or astronomical calendar. During the Winter Solstice, a strange triangular beam of light is said to be formed by this structure. This beam only shows up during that day and only for a few minutes.
It is believed that some sort of ceremony was held here during that day. Wow, ceremonies, sacrifices and rituals everywhere. They certainly took their religion seriously.
Intihuatana rests on top of an irregular natural pyramid, towering above the Principal Plaza. A large building with two entrances (one facing the stone) also stands up here.
Sacred Rock, Entrance to Huayna Picchu (Wayna Picchu) and to the Temple of the Moon (13)
You will find the Sacred Rock at the northern end of Machu Picchu. The Sacred Rock and two huayranas (buildings with 3 walls and a straw roof) surround the plaza from three sides. The sacred rock rests on a pedestal and is said to have the same shape as the mountains behind it.
If you continue past the sacred rock, you will come to the entrance station to Huayna Picchu (or Wayna Picchu) and to the temple of the Moon.
Huayna Picchu (Young Peak) is the name of the cone shaped towering mountain on the northern end of Machu Picchu. There are some structures on top of the mountain, including a house and some terraces. This was probably some sort of observatory. The trail is very steep and on our second day it started raining heavily (we were here in December of 2005). The whole mountain was engulfed in clouds so we did not hike up here. Supposedly the hike takes about 90 minutes round trip, but I cannot confirm or deny this.
The Temple of the Moon has just recently been opened to the public. It is a 3 hour strenuous hike (or so they say), so we didn't go here either.
Three Doorways and Industrial Sector
Northeast of the main square (Principal Plaza) lies the district of the Three Doorways (14).
It is a group of buildings that stands out from the surrounding buildings. It is comprised of three apartments or storerooms of identical size with 3 doors next to each other.
The Industrial Sector or Industrial District (15) is named after the two mortars that were most likely being used by ceramists. Remains of Clay from Ollantaytambo have been found here. All of this suggests some kind of pottery workshop.
Temple of the Condor and Prison (16)
The Temple of the Condor is a construction that resembles a condor with stretched wings. Its head and beak are located at a plaza and could have served as some sort of altar. This place was obviously for worshipping the Apu Kuntur (Condor god). An entrance to an underground labyrinth could have been used as some sort of prison, where people may have been put into some sort of poisonous snake pit. The surrounding walls include some sort of seats with arm restraints, which may have been used for some other punishment. The Inca usually did not imprison their convicts but punished them according to their crime. This may involve cruel death.
The Inca believed in a 3-folded divine spirit world. The Condor was the god of the sky, the Puma was the God of the world of the living and the Snake was the god of the underworld. The condor always had a special place in the mythology of the Andean people.
Inca Drawbridge (17)
The Inca Drawbridge is a 40 minute round trip hike from Machu Picchu. It is a very pleasant hike with almost no steep inclines, through the mountain scenery. You will get some glimpses of the Andean mountains and the water power plant down in the valley.
The Drawbridge was built for defensive purposes. Once the wooden bridge had been removed, there would have been almost no way to walk this path. The vertical drop below the bridge would have made any attempt at crossing the bridge impossible.
The ridge from where the photo was shot would have made a good place to throw stones at the attackers.
Transportation
There is not that much choice. You can get up to Machu Picchu by means of Shuttle busses from Aquas Calientes (esp.: Hot Springs). The shuttles are actually quite expensive and so is the entrance to the city.
You get to Aquas Calientes by Train from Cusco. There are actually 3 different Trains, the backpacker tourist class train (the one we booked), the Vista Dome train (the one we accidentally rode back) and the Hiram Bingham Deluxe Train. While the latter is incredibly expensive and luxurious, the Vista Dome is not really worth the money in my opinion, since you won't see that much more. I think the backpacker is sufficient for this trip (about 4.5 hours or so). It is going to be tight though, as you are sitting face to face in a 2x2 arrangement with very little leg space.
The benefit of the tourist class is that you can open the windows and lean outside to shoot the train while it is rolling (if you dare to that is).
Hotels, Restaurants
There is exactly one Hotel/Restaurant right at the entrance to Machu Picchu, the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. After seeing the price on Expedia (starting at around $500/night) I was convinced that I should rather do a whole bunch of other interesting things with that kind of money.
There are plenty of Hotels down in Aquas Calientes. We stayed in the Hostal Presidente, which was not the nicest hotel of our trip, but not bad at all.
There are also plenty of restaurants along the main road / train tracks, each of them competing for your attention.
Since this is such a touristy place, you will find all sorts of food. I had some pizza, that wasn't bad, but wasn't what I normally call pizza; the other day I had some steak which was really good. This time I could not have Alpaca again. If it is grilled right it is o.k. but if it is some kind of roast it has some really strong Alpaca taste.
Either way the Cusquena Beer is actually quite good and lets you down almost anything.
More Information
The train from Cusco arrives at around 10am and leaves at around 3pm (don't hold me to the time, they are from what I recollect). Anyways, you will be able to see most of the city during this time. If you want the city to yourself, you will have to stay over night and either come back with the first bus (at around 5am if memory serves me right) or stay as long as you can and wait for the whistle blowers to throw you out. Tourists overrun the ruins. Between 11am and 3pm it is hard to get a good photo of the whole site, because it will be crawling with people.
I don't know about winter but when we were here in summer (December), it was raining a lot. You can either buy some raincoat in your home country (as we did) or buy a cheap one in Cusco (for about $1). The cheap ones are not very long and very thin, so they may rip. Either way, research the weather you can expect!
Even though we came in summer, during the raining season, the sun would always rip through around noon.
Tons of tourists used to trample around the city. Although we came during Christmas, the season does not start until May. On Dec. 25th a large crowd spread all across the city like a big octopus spreading out its tentacles. If you click on the picture below, you can see hundreds of people all over the ruins.
During the heavy rains we encountered here we got a really good look at the rainwater drainage systems that seemed to work perfectly to evacuate the waters from the city. This canalization is so old and remarkably still works as it did back then.
Credits
All Images and the text have been kindly provided by Andre Gunther.
Check out his Peru Photo Galleries for more Photos.
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Beautiful
I am always astounded at the beauty of our World - so much to see, so little time.