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Published: April 16th 2006
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cusco, the "navel" of civilization
120 km south of machu picchu, cusco was the center of the Inca empire until 1534, when the spanish conquered the Inca's and moved the capital to Lima in 1911, an American explorer and Yale university professor named Hiram Bingham, stumbled upon a mass of carefully laid granite stones, covered with overgrown jungle, and nestled in the high mountain ranges of south western Peru. this sprawling array of intricately laid stone structures, was soon to be revealed as Machu Pichhu, or the "lost city" of the fabled and revered Inca empire. "lost" is a relative term, applying mostly to the non-native world, however hiram's "discovery" became the catalyst to a renewed infatuation and awareness of the advanced and remarkable history of one of the world's first civilizations, the Inca empire.
Machu Pichhu can now be reached in a variety of ways created by modern tourism, including trains and buses, however we choose to follow a more spiritual journey and hike the 4 day path along the historical Inca Trail, following in the footsteps of the Inca warriors, tribes, and rulers who originally devised the route and purportedly used it as both a pilgrimage path and a strategical route peppered with lookouts, storage facilities, palaces, and devout spiritual locations.
From 1200 AD to almost the middle of the 16th century, the Inca empire flourished and grew to a
the inca trail and andes mountains
the clouds gauzy clouds and fog stretched over the mountain tops, sometimes showering us with rain, sometimes parting by mid-day to bring in the sun footprint reaching all the way north to Ecuador, west into Bolivia, and including northern parts of Chile and Argentina. The Inca's were guided by the constellations and the animal patterns that could be traced in the sky (puma's, llama's, snakes, condors) were also reflected throughout their empire. For example, due to the Sun God's pitch of an arrow from Lake Titicaca, Cusco was designated as the "naval of civilization", was the epicenter of the Inca empire - and is formed in the shape of a Puma, signifying the world we live in and representing the symbol of strength and war. Also as an example, from an areal viewpoint (best viewed from Huayna Picchu), and with a little dose of imagination, the layout of Machu Picchu forms the shape of a llama.
The Inca's placed a huge importance of the duality of life and the spiritual relationship and energy that exists between nature and the past, present, and future of one's soul and being. this divinity is present in the smallest of flowers and the largest of mountains. the mountains can complain and punish through volcanic eruptions, the wind can berate, the rain can revive and rejuvenate, and the sun
day II - dead woman's pass
chris, rick, kirsten, brian and myself celebrating the summit of "dead woman's pass"....brrr! it was cold up there! can congratulate, support, and warm. the Sun is said to be representative of man, the warrior and the power exerted during everyday existence. many sun temples are found throughout the Inca empire, most notably the sun dial situated on top of the hills of cusco, that also represents the 'Eye' of the puma. the dual nature of the sun is complimented by the Moon. The Moon is the representative of Woman, symbolizing love and passion. the valley of the Moon near Cusco, is said to be the highest point of positive energy for this element. (this representation did not escape a few modernizing jokes about the "strength" of man during the daylight hours, only to sucumb to the beauty and lithe power of women as darkness sets in...;-)
as we began our pilgrimage along the trail, we stopped to offer three coca leaves to pachamama (mother earth), asking her blessing for a strong and successful trip. the trifecta of "three" represents the world as the Inca's see it: the upper world or heaven's, represented by the condor and symbolizing peace and serentity, the world that we live in, represented by the puma and symbolizing power and war; and the
inca ruin passed along the way
the stone terracing was a staple of most of ruins and was used for argricultural purposes, holding strips of potatoes or corn. it's speculated that this particular ruin was once the home of 8 families. underworld, represented by the serpert and symbolizing wisdom. the trifecta is also symbolic of past, present and future.
the trail began to wind slowly up through the lush, thick, green mountain peaks and for the first few hours we passed small local homes and villages. local "duenas" augmented the path, offering water, chocolate, and soda to aid our journey. we were soon also passed frequently (which would become the norm over the next 4 days) by running/speed walking porters, loaded to the hilt with up to 25 kilos of camping gear, food, and equipment. i am still unable to fathom their ability to climb so quickly, with such loads on their shoulders and with such minimal support, but am content to ascribe this ability to the influence of pachamama, with a little added kick from the "chicha" (alcoholic corn drink) and mass consumption of coca leaves. either way, they definately put the north face, gear laiden, first aid toteing tourists to shame!
this journey wouldn't have been the same without the presence of two great friends from San Francisco, brain and kirsten; rick and chris, as well as a fabulous group of 7 other trekkers, creating our stellar
stones
up close look at the precision of the stone terracing and expertly laid granite team of 12. as we slowly climbed along the meandering (and gradually steeper!) Inca trail, conversations ebbed and flowed between various walking partners and we began to build the camaraderie of our newly minted Inca "family". each morning began with an early wake up call of hot, steaming coca tea, followed by culinary works of art served in the food tent. we then set off, strapped into our day packs, to continue our ascent of the trail. there were definitely trying times, such as the 4 hour, vertical torture of "dead woman's pass"....which almost could have been renamed "dead womEN's pass", by the time i reached the summit! pachamama also challenged our daily resolve with consistent on and off rain showers, that we deftly managed with the expertise of an Indy 500 pit crew, cycling through many changes of clothing, rain gear, and various clever rain poncho machinations.
along the way, we encountered numerous Inca ruins. although no one really knows the exact use of many of these structures, it is speculated that they represented various ceremonial centers, look outs, guard posts, royal estates, and agricultural facilities. it's almost hard to explain the extent of the logistical planning, tedious
machu picchu
the lost city! taken from the sun gate, the most popularized viewpoint to capture the ruins. huayna picchu is looming in the background. and infallible architectural design and technical skill, of every diligently placed rock that creates the framework of the Inca empire. the more you think about it, the more incomprehensible and awe inspiring the Inca culture and society becomes.
each Inca structure is created with perfectly aligned, huge, smooth, granite stones. before the creation of the wheel, these stones were somehow positioned all across the Inca empire on the shoulders of mountains and harrowing peaks of cliffs, without the help of stone mortar or anything resembling modern tools. advanced knowledge of architecture was applied to secure the insides of the stone structures and the vertical lean of buildings, temples and walls fortified the structures against earthquakes, rain, and wind. the fact that the majority of the Inca structures are still standing today after years of wear and tear is a testimate to their superior assembly.
the other amazing element to the Inca empire, machu pichhu and the many temples and ruins that surround the cusco area, is the precision of their location as they relate to the sun and moon. each year, during the summer and winter solstice (June 21st / December 22nd) when the sun is at its
huayna picchu
kir and I from the top of huayna picchu. and we thought we had finished all of the climbing for the trip!
can you see the llama design of MP in the background? farthest points from the earth, its rays shine down directly through the perfectly placed sun gates and sun temples, creating the ultimate homage to the revered pachamama.
looking back, the trip to Machu Pichhu was a mix of spiritual awakening, cultural learning, physical adventure, and a fun camping excursion. looking up from a tent site in the midst of the Andean mountains to see a brilliant array of the southern hemisphere's chasm of stars, watching the ever changing fog and layers of gauzy, cotton ball clouds move through the panorama, soaking in the culture of the Inca empire, or getting charged up with nightly battles of hearts, spades, and heated spelling games...all contributed to an amazing and unforgettable experience!
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very well done
loved the blog! very well written.