Machu Picchu

The bus ride up to the entrance to Machu Picchu took us up a winding road. We passed many people trudging up in the wet to save the US$25 round trip bus fare! We were glad we'd opted to take the bus.

At the top, we joined the queue for the 8am entry. They let us in bang on time, and we began our three-hour tour with Julius. There were 10 people in our group. Julius proved to be a very knowledgeable guide, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. It was a huge bucket list tick for us. We have dreamed about being in Machu Picchu for years, and now it was our reality! It didn't disappoint! The weather could have been better, but Julius was right - the clouds did lift from time to time to allow us to see the place in all its glory and we were able to get some lovely photos. We feel privileged to have been there and to have been allowed to explore so extensively. Julius predicts that within a couple of years, the authorities will no longer allow people to walk amongst the ruins. Tourists will be restricted to a viewing area at the top of the site. This is due to a number of visitors disrespecting the place by urinating, defecating, and fornicating here!!

Machu Picchu isn't mentioned in any of the chronicles of the Spanish conquistadors. Apart from a couple of German adventurers invthe 1860s, who apparently looted the site with the Peruvian government's permission, only the local Quechua people knew of Machu Picchu's existence until American historian Hiram Bingham was guided to it by locals in 1911. The site was initially overgrown with thick vegetation, forcing Bingham's team to be content to roughly map the place. He returned in 1912 and 1915 to carry out the difficult task of clearing the thick forest. At this time, he also found some of the ruins on the Inca Trail.

Despite many more recent studies, knowledge of Machu Picchu remains sketchy. Even today, archaeologists have to rely heavily on speculation and educated guesswork as to its function. Some believe the citadel was founded in the waning years of the last Incas as an attempt to preserve their culture, while others think that it may have already become an uninhabited, forgotten city at the time of the conquest. A more recent theory is that the site was a royal retreat or country palace of Pachacutec, abandoned at the time of the Spanish invasion. Its location and the fact that at least 8 access routes have been discovered suggests that it was a trading hub between Amazonia and the highlands.

It seems clear from the exceptionally high quality of the stonework that Machu Picchu was once vitally important as a ceremonial centre.Read more