Day 26 - Machu Picchu / Ollantaytambo / Cusco

Monday, 8 September 2014

I woke up at 5 am this morning. That is, the alarm went off at 5 but I properly got out of bed at about 5.30 am. At about 6 am I went to catch the bus to Machu Picchu. Everyone here told me that the sun rises at about 7 am, but it was already suspiciously bright at 6 am. Where is the light coming from?? 

And then I realized there was really no point getting up so early, because what I really wanted to do was to see the sunrise through the Sun Gate, but it is about an hour trek away from the city of Machu Picchu so that went out the window. Be that as it may, it was really nice to see the sun rise over the city of Machu Picchu itself. I walked by myself for about 2 hours around the compound, I think I finished exploring all parts of Machu Picchu but without the explanations.

Then at approximately 8.45 am my guide came and I did a tour all over again around Machu Picchu, this time with explanations. Apu (the God of the mountains) granted my prayer. It was a hot and sunny day, perfect for taking pictures and walking around and exploring. Maybe I should've prayed to Apu from the start, then maybe all my wishes would've come true.

Machu Picchu is the site of an ancient Inca city, located at about 2,430 m above sea level. These ruins were discovered in 1911 by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham, who was led to the site by locals. He named it 'The Lost City of the Incas' because it was well hidden from view, and when he discovered it it was overgrown with trees and bushes. It is still unknown exactly what the site was in terms of its place in Inca life. It is an incomplete city, at some places you can still see large boulders that have not yet been broken down into smaller blocks. Based on the 'chambers' found in the ruins, including temples, houses and rooms totaling 74, it is estimated that about 1,000 people inhabited this city, and not more.  Since there are no official records, it is hypothesized that the Incas started building it around 1430 AD during the reign of Pachacuti Inka, and continued building it for about 100 years, until the Spanish began their conquest in South America. Then the site was abandoned.

Machu Picchu was a well hidden place, and well protected. Amazingly, the Spanish conquistadors missed the site. It was built in between 2 mountains, Machu Picchu which means 'old peak' and Huayna Picchu which means 'young peak' in Quecha. About 70% of the ruins are roughly built, stones upon stones without any polish. But for the most sacred sites, such as the temples and houses of priests, the architecture is so precise and neat, the stones so well put together that you can't even pass a paper through the wall where one stone meets another. It is built of granite stone.

Upon entry to the ruins, the first thing I saw were the terraces. Not all these terraces were used for agricultural purposes, some were made as a sort of retainer, to stop the mountain from eroding. The terracing was so durable that the locals were still farming centuries later when Bingham arrived in 1911.

There are also ruins of several houses, most probably for the people who permanently lived at the site. They appear to be terraced housing with larger communal areas for preparing food, cooking and dining. There are also sections, believed to be for royalty or important people, this is distinguishable by the spaciousness and by the large stone lintels above the doors which is a characteristic in the homes of more powerful people.

From the point of entry, the first thing we see is the Temple of the Sun - it was called that, because the stones made to build it were perfectly carved and polished, indicating that this was an important place. There are 2 windows in this circular like building, during the summer solstice the light of the sunrise passes through one window and during the winter solstice the light of the sunrise passes through the other window. Some people also believe that the temple may have acted as an astronomical observation centre. 

The next thing I saw was something that looked like a sun dial, and it is believed that it is either a sun dial, or an astronomical calendar type thing.