What makes Machu Picchu so remarkable? It was not known to the Spaniards who invaded and took over the Inca Empire in the 16th century. No major events or battles happened there. It remained unknown to the outside world until 1911, when local families led a North American explorer to the 500-year-old walls, covered in jungle vegetation.
The explorer, Hiram Bingham, returned with a National Geographic team to excavate and photograph it, and soon the whole world was enthralled by this breath-taking mountain village. Because of Machu Picchu, the rest of the world began to know something about the beautiful country of Peru.
Archeologists today believe that Machu Picchu was a retreat for Inca royalty, and possibly a regional capital. Perched atop steep mountains at nearly 8,000 feet, it seems remote at first. But a major river flows through the valley below and it was conveniently located between mountain and jungle regions along the ancient Inca network of roads.
We got up early to catch a bus that climbed hairpin curves up the clouded mountainside. We joined throngs of tourists waiting to enter (it is high tourist season). But even sharing the experience with tourists from all over the world, we relished our visit. Machu Picchu showed us her mystical face, with mist that drifted over the mountains and rain sprinkles intermingled with sunshine.
When we climbed to the first viewpoint, we could hardly see the famous stone buildings nestled against the towering peak of Huayna Picchu. But gradually the mist cleared, and there it was! Our guide, Salvador, led us on a fascinating tour, explaining the structures and how the Incas fit the great stones together with amazing precision. Later, students had free time to explore and hike the trails around the ancient city.
What makes Machu Picchu so remarkable? After spending a day there, our answer to that question is, its beauty first; then the amazing engineering feat of a people who didn’t have the wheel, metal tools or advanced mathematics; and finally, its fame as a World Cultural Heritage site and one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
Hiking back to the village.Waiting to enter.Lately there has been a problem with tourists taking nude selfies and posting them on social media.Once through the gate, you can get a special Machu Picchu stamp in your passport.At first it seemed we would not be able to see the famous view.But the mist never stopped moving.The mist lifted.Machu Picchu.Photographs ensued.AlejandroThe face of Machu Picchu was constantly changing.The ruins of dwellings in the village. They were white-washed and roofed with thatch in their time.Students descending into the ruins of the village.Brian and DerekThis was the main door into the village. Jaime, Stefan and Brian discover it is not so easy to move huge boulders.An area where stones were worked on.The marks on this stone suggest that the Incas split stones by inserting wood stakes and wetting them, so they would expand.The priest’s quarters, next to the temple.The temple of three windows.Some terraces were for farming, and others were for stability.A stone shaped like the Southern Cross constellation is oriented exactly north-south.All over the village are carvings like this one, a portrait of the mountains behind it.This stone served as an astronomical device, to chart the sun for planting and harvesting of crops.The students wait out a short rainstorm in an Inca shelter.In the Temple of the Condor, this rock was carved to look like a condor’s small head and white collar. Soaring rock shapes above it form the wings.Not sure what this is about…A finely-carved room under the Temple of the Sun.The Temple of the Sun has windows aligned to the summer and winter solstices. Marveling at 500-year-old workmanship.JoelBrian hiking to the Sun Gate.The view on the hike.The Sun Gate was a structure that overlooked the village and probably had a religious purpose.The students take in the view.Brody and BrianThe climb is arduous, but the reward is this view.Miranda and Sierra make it to the Sun Gate.A splash of color on a grey day.In the afternoon, the sun broke through.Director Richard Aguirre takes advantage of the sunshine to pose for a picture.Hiking back to the village.The Guardhouse, with a reconstructed roof.View from the Guardhouse window.AndrewStefanEmmaAlejandroMirandaJoelDerekLeahSierraBrodyEdithMichaelTimBrianLucasJaimeDerekMattThe current residents of Machu Picchu.
