MACHU PICCHU PART - 2

PART 2

"We enter with reverence because all here is sacred."

 

The months of December, January & February are traditionally known as the wet season in the highlands of Peru. Last year the rains started early in November and the rains in January were the heaviest for the last 25 years. As a result, the rivers in the Cusco region were swollen and burst their banks flooding adjacent low-lying villages causing damage to bridges and the railway line between Aguas Calientes (the town closet to Machu Picchu) and Ollantaytambo. The only way for visitors to get from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes is by train. Damage to the track on the 24 January left nearly 1500 tourists stranded in the town of Aguas Calientes. There has been no damage to Machu Picchu itself or to the Inca Trail. The road from Machu Picchu down to the bridge crossing the River Vilcanota appears to be in good condition as does the bridge itself. There is damage to the road running parallel to the river from the bridge to Aguas Calientes which may take until mid-March to repair. The railway to Aguas Calientes will be open from the beginning of April and access via road between Hidro-Electrica and Santa Maria will take at least 2 months to repair because of the need to construct two tunnels to help stabilize this section of the road. This effectively means that there will be no way to get to and from Machu Picchu until the beginning of April.

This was the situation we faced while trying to get to Machu Picchu from Cusco. Thanks to Colonel Javier Alva, we were able to get on to a carriage on a rail test run to Aguas Calientes from the starting point of the railway at Poroy, about 15 minutes drive from Cusco. Actually, Machu Picchu is at a lower altitude to Cusco, which is at 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) above sea level, while Machu Picchu is at 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) a.s.l. The train runs mostly on a flat track, but the view is fantastic. At a few points, it is right at the edge of the cliff and the valley far below is about 2000 feet below. There are terraced fields which protect rainwater run-off and saves the top soil of the mountains. The train we travelled ran slowly to test the track and to inspect the bridges and we had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. Finally after about four hours we reached the small town of Aguas Calientes, 104 kms from Poroy. In the small town are lodges and restaurants for the tourist, but most of them were closed now. A couple of shops were open and we bought some bread and sausages and water bottles. From the town we had to trek about 6 kms to Machu Picchu along a winding trail. The two soldiers who were escorting us also came with us. We had to spend the night right on Machu Picchu, a privilege only very few could expect.

Machu Picchu, in the Quechua language, still used in Peru means "Old Peak". It is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World

Machu Picchu was constructed around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire, but it was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. The Conquistadors defaced sacred rocks in other locations but they are untouched at Machu Picchu.  Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham of Yale University. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.

Machu Picchu was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1983 when it was described as "an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization" On July 7, 2007, Machu Picchu was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The World Monuments Fund placed Machu Picchu on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world.

The Inca builders knew how to construct buildings which are quake proof. The central buildings of Machu Picchu use the classical Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. The Incas were among the best stone masons the world has seen, and many junctions are so perfect that it is said not even a blade of grass fits between the stones.

Some Inca buildings were constructed using mortar, but by Inca standards this was quick, shoddy construction, and was not used in the building of important structures. Peru is a highly seismic land, and mortar-free construction was more earthquake-resistant than using mortar. The stones of the dry-stone walls built by the Incas can move slightly and resettle without the walls collapsing. Inca walls show numerous design details that also help protect them from collapsing in an earthquake. Doors and windows are trapezoidal and tilt inward from bottom to top; corners usually are rounded; inside corners often incline slightly into the rooms; and "L"-shaped blocks often were used to tie outside corners of the structure together. These walls do not rise straight from bottom to top but are offset slightly from row to row. The Incas never used the wheel in any practical manner. Its use in toys demonstrates that the principle was well-known to them, although it was not applied in their engineering. The lack of strong draft animals as well as terrain and dense vegetation issues may have rendered it impractical. How they moved and placed enormous blocks of stones remains a mystery, although the general belief is that they used hundreds of men to push the stones up inclined planes. A few of the stones still have knobs on them that could have been used to lever them into position; it is believed that after the stones were placed, the Incas would have sanded the knobs away, but a few were overlooked.

The space is composed of 140 structures or features, including temples, sanctuaries, parks, and residences that include houses with thatched roofs. There are more than one hundred flights of stone steps–often completely carved from a single block of granite–and a great number of water fountains that are interconnected by channels and water-drains perforated in the rock that were designed for the original irrigation system. Evidence has been found to suggest that the irrigation system was used to carry water from a holy spring to each of the houses in turn. According to archaeologists, the urban sector of Machu Picchu was divided into three great districts: the Sacred District, the Popular District to the south, and the District of the Priests and the Nobility.

Located in the first zone are the primary archaeological treasures: the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows. These were dedicated to Inti, their sun god and greatest deity. The Popular District, or Residential District, is the place where the lower class people lived. It includes storage buildings and simple houses. In the royalty area, a sector that existed for the nobility includes a group of houses located in rows over a slope, the residence of the Amautas (wise persons) was characterized by its reddish walls, and the zone of the Ñustas (princesses) had trapezoid-shaped rooms. The Monumental Mausoleum is a carved statue with vaulted interior and carved drawings.
The Intihuatana stone is one of many ritual stones in South America. The Spanish did not find Machu Picchu so the Intihuatana Stone was not destroyed as many other ritual stones in Peru were. At midday on March 21 and September 21, the equinoxes, the sun stands almost above the pillar—casting no shadow at all. Researchers believe that it was built as an astronomic clock or calendar.

In 1912 and 1914–15, Bingham excavated the treasures from Machu Picchu—ceramic vessels, silver statues, jewelry and human bones—and took them from Peru to Yale University in the United States for further study for a period of 18 months. Yale has retained the artifacts until now under the argument that Peru didn't have the infrastructure or proper conditions to take care of the pieces. The National Geographic Society, which co-sponsored Bingham’s explorations, has acknowledged that the artifacts were taken on loan and is committed to seeing them returned to Peru.

Vicky, Ashy and I spent the evening walking around the structures. By then the sun had set and we found a couple of shelters to spend the night. The two soldiers used one of them and we three the other. Soon the equatorial darkness set in and the twinkling stars over head were like diamonds in the sky. We made a fire from the shrubs growing at the edges and heating the bread and sausages, we had a good dinner. It was bitterly cold, but we had warm clothes and blankets in our knapsacks. We sat under the stars and talked about the wonders of the world. Finally we slept on the stone floor of the shelter and slept well. Early morning brought another marvellous sight with the sun flooding the structures with a magical light. Then we trekked back to Aguas Calientes and had breakfast in a restaurant which was open. The train was about to start on its return journey at 9 AM. We got into it and returned to Cusco.

We went to meet Colonel Javier and found him absolutely fit and healthy. He gave us all the details and photographs which are being used in this blog. At noon, we travelled to Lima, the capital of Peru. It is a great city, but beautifully laid out. We spent the night there and took the morning flight to Buenos Aires.