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Day 3
After a quick breakfast we were greeted by our guide, Teddy, at our hotel and were on our way by 5:30am to catch the bus to Machu Picchu. The round trip ticket to and back costs around $24. The ride up was uneventful and quick. Once our passes to enter the city were checked we started to walk-in. Our guide decided to sit us down just as we entered the site for a 30 minute talk on the history of the site; which I really appreciated since I did not see any of the other guides doing that and also knowing the history behind something helps you understand the importance of it much better.
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Some of the highlights that stuck in my mind was how the first American explorer Hiram Bingham accidentally stumbled upon the city in 1911. He was actually looking for Vilcabamba (the original "Lost City of the Incas" and not Machu Picchu). Vilcambamba was a hidden capital, that the Incan people escaped to after the Spanish conquistadors arrived here in the 1530s. More interestingly when he found it, he discovered that there were three families of farmers living there already and one of the children of these families actually walked him to the ruins and showed him what has now become one the most amazing discoveries of our lifetime. The city is only partially visible to this day since more than 50% of it is still underground and remains undiscovered.
The Sun was an integral part of the Inca s' way of life and every building they constructed had some kind of orientation to it or other cosmological relation. Either the windows were laid out in a certain way or the structural shape or location of the buildings were specifically designed to interact with the Sun, the stars or the landscape itself.
The entire site was covered by what the locals call the Cloud Forest. Its where the clouds meet the thick forest, and given the amount of rain that they get here there is an ever growing forest. The entire site was overrun by it and had to be cleared out, followed by excavation and restoration. Excavation was then halted a few years into the project by the authorities to preserve the city which now due to increased tourist traffic is sinking (very slowly). So there is a good chance that in a few years nobody will be allowed to enter the city, but just admire it from afar.
At 8am in the morning there was quite a bit of mist around and visibility was restricted to just a few meters. We couldn't even see the buildings that were within a stones throw away, but it started clearing up quite quickly. Huayna picchu still remained shrouded in the clouds for some more time. You enter the site through Pachamama's temple and then as you keep going you see evidence of materials for water ducts that remained never used in the construction of the city.
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Then you come up to the water fountains and the Temple of the Sun. We could not enter it as a protection to reduce the weight in there; which is causing it to sink. The temple's walls are different and much better laid. The rocks are smoother, well cut and better aligned. Not to say that the other construction is any lesser. Even in those buildings the rocks are put together, not with mortar but smaller rock wedges to counter the earthquakes this region receives.
We then walked through the residential quarters where you could see the royal chambers (which comes with a closet) and 2 reflecting water pools to observe the night sky or put your makeup on - take your pick. Next stop in the tour is the quarry from where you get a panoramic view of both sides of the city
Moving on we get to the the Sacred Plaza which has 3 structures on either side and clearly meant for some kind of religious purpose. A slab of marble used for offerings in the middle affirms that conclusion. Then comes the Temple of the 3 Windows.
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Funny story - the wall had 5 windows originally, but the emperor had the 2 of them closed up since he
did not like the look!. To do something like that today is easy, but in those days imagine moving those huge blocks of stone for aesthetic purposes.
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In the Sacred Plaza there is also a sun-dial that can be very easily missed, if Teddy had not pointed it out to us. Its a mini pillar like rock that sits right in front of the 3 windows
As you follow the path it will lead you around the plaza and up to the Intihuatana rock which was carved from a huge slab of rock, standing on the highest elevation within the Inca citadel. From afar its like a tiered, pyramid-like setup, with a small rock needle at the top. The four sides of the rock represent the 4 cardinal points (north, south, east, and west). It was used by the Inca's for astronomical purposes and as well as for spiritual and religious ceremonies. During the two equinoxes (so March 21st and September 21st) the
sun stands directly above the rock, creating no shadow at all. We were not allowed to stay at this place for too long since the extra weight of the tourists was causing it to sink. Tourists were previously allowed to touch the stone as it was believed to give out a positive energy, but due to some recent indiscretions and a shooting of a beer commercial that damaged the stone it has been cordoned of with a security guard posted there at all times.
You then enter The Main Square where the citizens gathered for religious ceremonies or announcements. Its built to reflect the sound, so no matter where you stand you will not miss out on the declarations made by the emperor from atop the hill on which the Intihuatana rocks sits. Sometime during the 1980s a large rock from the central plaza was removed to create a helicopter landing zone for the King and Queen. Our guide showed us some pictures and I was not impressed with the use of their status to disturb an archaeological site in such a manner.
And then we come to the end of the guided tour part of the city at the Sacred Rock, which is basically a giant version of the rock depicting the mountain range that we saw on the way up to the Intihuatana. The Sacred Rock is located at the center of two sheds that served to lodge the people that would come to witness religious ceremonies. This is also the starting point for the Huayana Picchu hike, but since some of us were unable to purchase those tickets in time we just hung about for a bit there before making our way back.
The route back takes us through the factories, the industrial sector and the prisoners houses of the city. Along the way you will see the Temple of the Condor, which is easily noticeable by the 2 huge rocks shaped like wings.
Once out of the site we headed for the bus to get back to the city. After collecting our bags a few of us spent a few hours strolling through the city of Aguas Calientes. Just window shopping mostly before catching the 3.5 hrs train back to Poroy. By the time we got picked up at the station in Poroy and dropped off at our respective hotels it was around 8pm.
I had booked "Novotel Cusco" for the night.
We had such a great time as a group that we decided to meet one last time again for dinner and drinks. We met up at Chakruna Native Burgers. Very good stuff, I do recommend this place. Its a small hole in the wall kind of place. After some good laughs we finally disbanded to our respective hotels with plenty of excellent memories.
Google Photos - Day 3
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