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Published: April 8th 2007
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Hola Amigos, I am writing to you from Cuzco, Peru, in the Sacred Valley of the Inkas. Cuzco is the gateway to the lost city of the Inkas, Machu Picchu. The city of Cuzco (Qosq´o in Quechuan) is located in the Sacred Valley of the Rio Urubamba and is believed to be located in the longest continually inhabited place on Earth. What does that mean? Well, it means that archeologists can trace signs of non nomadic peoples here further back than any other area. The valley is absolutely beautiful, sitting at an elevation of approximately 3300 meters. The city sits just below cloud-forest line, a semi-tropical classification of wet forest. The valley is large and lush and beautiful. Here, the Andes begin to descend to the Amazon Basin. There is no desert here my firends.
Walking around the city is amazing. There are large portions blocked off to foot traffic beacuse of the remenants of the Inkan civilization that brought this city to its preeminence nearly 500 years ago. Amazingly, much of the Inkan architecture is not only accessable but is used as foundations for many of the city´s newer buildings. From the famous twelve sided stone (a stone cut
with twelve sides in the middle of a vast wall in the city´s center) to those stones used to build the vast number of churches here, everywhere there is evidence of a civilization long past. There are more churches here than any city yet. I can only imagine that as the heart of such a powerful and advanced culture, the Spanish tore down the Inkans holy temples and build their own with the same stones to prove the point of all points: Our civilization is better than yours and so is our God, and yours are nothing. I am constantly amazed that so many of the people here are as devoutly Catholic as they are. Terrible things were and are done in the name of God, things that should not be forgotten.
It is amazing to see the architecture of the city and its surrounding ruins, and getting to touch the stones is astounding. There is something electric in them. Being able to touch them, to feel their features brings the heart to a frenetic pace as if you are being transported back in time to an amazing world long destroyed by greed, jelousy, blindness and trechery. This is living
history and as a student of history the stones are vastly more powerful than most of great works of art, architecture and culture of the western world. If these walls could talk each stone would tell its own tale of the birth, eminence and fall of an amazing civilization and though they are cool to touch, they bring with them the warmth of amazing craftsmanship. To behold stones still holding their places in vast sacred walls, carved to fit perfectly with those around them and the realization that many weigh more than 200 tons boggles the mind.
Yesterday I hopped on a bus to a small town north of Cuzco called Pisac about 8km away. From there I walked back to Cuzco, many times jumping off the road on to grazing paths used by the real inhabitants of this land to move their sheep, alpacas, cows and donkeys. I scrambled up slopes and walked through eucalyptus trees and wildflower fields. It was the most free I have felt in a long time.
Along the way back I stopped at four ruins. The first was Tambo Machay, a small ceremonial bath still running clear and cold and pure with spring
water from the hill above. The next was a fort called Puca Pucara that sat setinel on a commanding hill high above Cozco. Unlike most of the Inkan craftsmanship that used cool, grey gramite this site employed a reddish volcanic rock much warmer to the touch. The third site is called Qenko and is a large limestone rock with steps carved all over and a small zigzag pattern descening from a ceremonial platform thougt to be used for blood sacrifices. There is a small cave underneath where alters are carved into the stone. Finally, closest to Cuzco is a site called Sacsayhuaman (pronounced "sexy woman") meaning "satisfied falcon." Though the site is huge, only about twenty percent of what was originally built exists today. The rest the Spanish tore down to use to build Cuzco. The most staggering part of this ruin is the three tiered zigzagging walls, of which there are twenty-two, built with immense stones carved flush to each other. Amazingly, one stone is believed to weigh more than 300 tons! The tiers were built in the zigzag pattern to symobolize teeth. When the Inkas built Cuzco they imagined it in the shape of a Puma and Sacsayhuaman
Tambo Machay
Ceremonial Bath was the head and the zigzags the teeth.
On a hill across a gulch, just slightly higher than the one Sacsayhuaman occupies, is a giant statue of Jesus overloking the city of Cuzco.
Tomorrow, my friends, begins a hike to the famed lost city of the Inkas, Machu Picchu. I can´t wait to tell you about it!
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Robin
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Hey Simon, It is good to join you on your trip! (Cam hooked me up) I am loving getting caught up with your experiences... from eating Mr. GP to Chico, Ca. Thank you for including us and I am quite envious..... enjoy the beautiful country and culture.....Much Love, R