This entry may end up sounding more like a history lesson than something that would be in a family journal, but many years from now, I want to be able to recall the awe-inspiring sights and the details that we learned during our recent trip to Peru. As I told the boys while we climbed the many steps at the ruins of the Inca city of Machu-Picchu, I hope they never forget that they walked on that sacred land, that they touched those weathered stones, and that they witnessed one of the most beautiful and incredible places they will see in their lives. I hope that this story of our unforgettable vacation will help them remember one of the greatest adventures we experienced together as a family.
We left Sao Paulo on a Friday evening, spending 7 hours (overnight) in the Lima airport. I had packed a sleeping bag and “Snuggies”, hoping to get a little bit of sleep on the chairs in brightly lit waiting areas, which for the boys was already an adventure. By the time we arrived in Cusco, we were excited to be surrounded by the majestic mountains, but were exhausted and feeling the effects of the altitude. We were picked up at the airport and taken to our hotel, where we were given coca tea (made from the same leaf used to make cocaine) to combat altitude sickness. Matt quickly became a fan of the coca leaves, carrying them with him on all of our tours and drinking the tea any time he had a chance. I joked that if we had stayed any longer, he would have become addicted!
Because it was too early to check in to our hotel room, our tour coordinator suggested we walk around and get acquainted with the town and have a bit of breakfast. He took us to a huge market, where locals go to eat and buy their meats, produce, and other goods. I’ve posted pictures of this impressive market, and have received many comments from friends saying they have been inspired to become vegetarians – no part of the cows, pigs, and other animals sold are spared – they eat EVERYTHING! The kids were in awe of the brains, sheep heads, bull testicles, whole pigs, chicken feet, and organ meats - just to name a few of the unusual “foods” we saw. As per habit, Ian had to use the bathroom, so our guide took us to the public restroom that also proved to be an interesting experience. To begin with, it was one big room with stalls used by men and women, alike, complete with a couple of shower stalls. What really surprised us the most, however, was that they actually charged to use the facilities, depending on what you had “to do” – 20 cents to pee, and 50 cents to poop! Many places in our tours charged to use the public restrooms, but this was the only place that differentiated the cost based on the need – different indeed! Having already received an education about local living, we found a restaurant that was still serving breakfast, where we rested and filled up on carbohydrates, also helpful with avoiding altitude sickness.
Once we were able to get into our hotel rooms, we showered and got ready for our first tour – the Cusco City Tour. Before planning our trip to Peru, I had never heard of the city of Cusco - in my mind, it was just the closest city that would give us access to the more well-known Machu Picchu. Boy, was I wrong! The city, with a population of almost 500,000, is situated in a valley high in the Andes Mountains at 11,100 feet elevation. The historical significance of the Incas that were conquered by the Spaniards (in the name of Christian Catholicism) in this city, which used to be the capital of the Inca Empire, is central to the modern development of the Cusco Valley and surrounding regions. Our first stop was the main cathedral in the center of the city, where we received a history lesson about how the Spanish conquerors invaded the Inca territories in the 1530s and brutally massacred the armies of Indians that far out-numbered their own troops. In one battle, at the Peruvian city of Cajamarca, the Spaniards – led by Francisco Pizzaro - invaded with fewer than 200 men, using horses and sophisticated weapons, and managed to capture the Inca leader, Atahuallpa, and defeat his army of 80,000 Indians, which was on foot and virtually unarmed. The cathedral itself is a work of art, and is one of the largest and most decorated in South America. It is full of gold and silver ornamentation, as well as many paintings depicting varying versions of biblical stories (both from the perspectives of the conquered Incas as well as those of the Europeans), including a controversial depiction of “The Last Supper”, in which the face of Pizzaro was painted as Judas. I found it disconcerting that the cross that had been carried by the priest who ordered the brutal murders of the Incas (they were considered to be “enemy dogs that rejected the things of God”) hung proudly in the center of one of the chapels of the cathedral.
After our lesson and tour of the cathedral, it was time to learn more about the important landmarks in Cusco, where many of the buildings stand upon original Inca foundations. We visited a small museum where we learned a bit more about the intelligent Inca civilization and were able to see evidence of skull surgeries they performed, as well as some mummies that have been discovered. We then boarded a bus and headed to the ruins of Saqsaywaman (a.k.a. ‘Sexy Woman’), considered to have been a fortress and ceremonial grounds for the Incas. Here we were able to see the incredible handiwork and architectural skills the Incas possessed. The massive stone structures in the ruins were beautifully hand-cut and pieced together, without the use of any mortar. All of the stones (the largest of which weighs over 120 tons) used were cut at a quarry 8 kilometers away, and carried by men on foot, to the grounds here. While we explored the ruins, a herd of alpaca ran past us in search of food – one of them even spat at us as it passed! This is also where Ian really started to feel the effects of the altitude, losing all color, and nearly passing-out – he and Matt stayed at the bottom of the hill, while Alex and I climbed around the fortress and took in the beautiful scenery around us.
Our next stop was the site of Tambomachay, which sits at 12,000 feet elevation, and was dedicated to the worship of water. It is known as the “Inca Baths” and the canals found here demonstrate the Inca’s architectural talent, as well as their knowledge of hydraulics. The boys, by now miserable and exhausted, stayed on the bus while Matt and I paced ourselves and climbed to the top of the hill – at this altitude, it was pretty easy to become winded and feel your heart pound in your chest. We then visited the cave and labyrinth of Q’enqo, where we were taught the process the Incas used to mummify their dead. The Incas believed in life after death, and took great care to preserve the bodies of the more important members of their communities – they were always placed in a seated, fetal position and were strategically placed in areas that received the right amount of sun and wind in order to aid the process of mummification. The mummies were considered to be sacred and were revered; the Incas held special festivals and ceremonies where all of the mummies were brought together and gifts and offerings were given to them. With our tour complete, we made one final stop at a store selling goods made of pure alpaca wool – here we were taught to spot the difference between the real thing and the synthetic alpaca that street and market vendors try to convince you to buy. During our stop, we were given more coca tea to sip while we shopped; Matt and the boys even picked out a sweater and hats to take home with us. Our first day in Cusco was complete – exhausted, we all turned in early that night!
The second day of our visit would take us on a tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas – this was a key area of settlement for the Incas. The fertile soil here and temperate climate provided optimal grounds for growing crops and is still used for agricultural purposes today; the valley is bordered by the Urubamba River. We had just boarded the bus and were leaving the city of Cusco when Alex’s second front tooth fell out – he had lost the first front tooth just after we arrived at the airport in Sao Paulo two days earlier. I tucked his tooth into my wallet for safe-keeping until we were in a place the tooth fairy could visit. First on our tour was a stop at a craft market in the middle of nowhere – a definite tourist trap – where the boys picked out a couple of (overpriced) souvenirs. Then we moved on to the ruins at the fortress of Pisaq. Here, high in the Andes, more of the beautiful Inca architecture stands amidst majestic mountain scenery. The picturesque fort is surrounded by intricate terraces (each with irrigation systems) that were expertly designed to grow the many species of corn, potatoes, and other grains for which the Incas are known. It really is impossible to describe with words, or to show with pictures, how awesome it is to see the evidence of the existence of the Inca people and the feats they were able to accomplish; not only was their work beautiful, but it was very technical – they were skilled farmers, architects, and engineers.
Once off of the mountain-top village, we descended to the market in the modern village of Pisaq. We had been told that we would have time to shop and browse the many colorful stalls at this large produce and handicrafts market. However, I think our guide, Cesar, was tired of having to round up our large group and wait for late stragglers; instead of shopping, we followed him to the “bakery” in the village. The bakery consisted of an outdoor clay oven, where a man with a very long-handled wooden paddle was quickly baking everything from bread to guinea pigs. Yes, that’s right, those adorable little fluffy creatures we keep as pets in the U.S. are considered to be a delicacy in Peru. There was a little “guinea pig house” in the corner of the small square where the bakery is situated, and the cute animals were crawling around as you’d see in a pet store, not knowing their fate. After eating some fresh-baked cheese empanadas and a delicious corn-on-the-cob (no, we didn’t try the guinea pig) we took a few before-and-after pictures of the critters, and were herded back onto the buses for a one-hour drive through the mountains to the town of Urubamba, where we had lunch. Here, we tried some of the more common foods in Peru, including ceviche (raw fish soaked in lime juice and other seasonings), alpaca meat (which was delicious and tasted a lot like beef), and quinoa (a very common grain found in soups and salads).
After lunch, it was time for more mountain roads and scenery as we made our way to the fort and village of Ollantaytambo. This town has been built on top of original Inca foundations and is the best surviving example of Inca town planning; it is also has some of the oldest continuously occupied dwellings in South America. Ollantaytambo, which sits at the western end of the Sacred Valley, was an important religious, political, and agricultural center for the Incas. We stayed with our group as we listened to the history of the place, and had little time to explore on our own before moving on to our last stop on the tour. The Cusco Valley sits near the equator, which means the sun sets at about 6:00PM all year; by the time we reached Chinchero, the last village we visited, it was dark. We were given a quick tour of a 17th century church that is still functioning today, and returned to Cusco. Exhausted and enlightened after a full day of learning and exploring, we had a light dinner and collapsed in our beds.
Next stop: Machu Picchu! I’ve taken the liberty of borrowing bits of information from the on-line version of the New World Encyclopedia to help explain the history and significance of this mystical and magical place…
“Machu Picchu (The Lost City of the Incas) is one of the most well-known sites of the Inca Empire. The ruin, located high in the Andes Mountains, is one of the most important archaeological centers in South America, and as a consequence, the most visited tourist attraction in Peru. The site can be reached by taking a train to nearby Aguas Calientes, then a bus to the ruins, or by the longer, more traditional four day hike from Cuzco along the Inca Trail - part of the ancient Inca road system, which included nearly 14,000 miles of road and stretched from Ecuador to Chile; an engineering marvel in itself.
The Inca were experts at a type of stone construction called "ashlar," in which stones are dry fit together so perfectly that not even a knife blade could fit between them. Despite their lack of a written language or the use of the wheel, the Inca were remarkably advanced in their understanding of drainage, construction, and hydrology. Buildings and terraces were constructed over foundations made from layers of gravel and rock, and drainage systems were designed to keep water from damaging the buildings or their foundations. The city's water supply came from a natural spring (an essential aspect of the site selection), but the Inca engineers built a spring collection system to enhance the yield of the spring. Despite a lack of iron or steel tools, the Inca created a monument that is as technically impressive as it is breathtaking, and has stood the test of time.
Writers comment it was for “God, gold, and glory” that the conquest of the New World took place. The Inca Civilization was wealthy and well-organized, with generally humane treatment of its people, including the vanquished. It took the Spanish just eight years to all but destroy the richest culture in the Americas, replacing it with a much less just system - the new Spanish rulers brutally repressed the people and their traditions. Many aspects of Inca culture were systematically destroyed, including their sophisticated farming system. The Spanish used the Inca Mita (mandatory public service) system to literally work the people to death. One member of each family was forced to work in the gold and silver mines - when one family member died, which would usually happen within a year or two, the family would be required to send a replacement. As elsewhere in the Americas, many died from the diseases brought by the Spanish.
Machu Picchu was abandoned at the time of the Spanish invasion of Peru, although whether the Spaniards discovered it at that time is debatable. The Spanish saw little or no reason to preserve anything they encountered in Inca civilization. They plundered its wealth and left the civilization in ruin. The civilization's sophisticated road and communication system and governance were no mean accomplishments. Diverse tribes, many occupying isolated territories in the most obscure of mountain hideaways, were simply remarkable. The great and relatively humane civilization of the Incas' main legacy is inspirational, residing in the human ability to imagine that such a fabulously rich, well-ordered, and generally humane society once existed, high up in the Andean hills. Regardless of its actual purpose, Machu Picchu remains an incredible combination of natural beauty and human creativity.”
We were so excited to finally see the main attraction of Machu Picchu, though we thought a lot about John and Deanna, wishing they were with us to share in the experience. Because we were traveling with the kids, and due to time constraints, we did not attempt the 4-day hike on the Inca Trail, and opted for a ride on the Vista-Dome train, instead. Matt insists that he will return someday to do the hike – I hope he gets the chance to do it. The train allowed panoramic views of the mountains and valleys, as well as remote homes and farms - the sun was shining and the sights were breathtaking and spectacular. At a stop to pick up more passengers, locals approached our train selling their wares – they were persistent and managed to make a few sales. Further along the way, we stopped at a railroad crossing and were approached by a young mother with two small children and an old lady selling flowers. As the children looked up at our windows and waved at us, my heart melted and we threw some money down to them; others on the train tossed snacks and money, as well. The poverty in Peru is one thing that stood out for us, and in the region we visited, tourism is what keeps the economy moving. After almost four hours on the train, we finally arrived to the town of Aguas Calientes, where our guide for the day, Mario, was waiting and ready to go.
Mario had been expecting us earlier than our actual arrival time, and he was hoping we would be able to see the sights of Machu Picchu before it started to rain. We were hungry for lunch, so we ate quickly while Mario went about the business of getting our tickets into the national park. From Aguas Calientes, we took a 30-minute bus ride on a zigzag dirt road up the mountain to the gates of the ancient Inca city – the bus driver expertly managed the hairpin turns and backed up when necessary for other passing buses, but it still made us nervous. Entering the park that holds the treasure of Machu Picchu is a serious business – we had to present our actual passports in order to be admitted; at the end of our tour, we even got a special stamp in our passports. Once inside, we walked along a stone path until we reached the gateway that led us into the “Lost City of the Incas”. After seeing so many pictures and anticipating our visit for months, it felt surreal to actually be there and witness the magnitude of this amazing place, which is on the list of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”. We paused to take in the scene around us, as well as to snap a few pictures before Mario moved us along and started our lesson about the area and the people who built it.
We spent the next several hours walking, climbing, listening to stories about the Incas, and marveling at the incredible architecture and terraces they designed. We visited the Temple of the Sun, which has two windows strategically placed to allow the sun in exactly at the winter and summer solstices, when they held special ceremonies and festivals. We saw the “southern cross” stone, which is situated perfectly to show direction, as Mario proved by placing his compass on it – the “N-E-S-W” lined up precisely with the four corners of the stone. Another very large stone was discovered to have been used as a “clock” that used the shadows of the sun to help them tell time. We learned about the three animals that were sacred to the Incas – the condor, puma, and snake – which represented the sky, earth, and underworld to them – and saw the stone carving of the condor that guarded a large tomb where it is believed they kept a mummified leader. The Temple of the Condor is a perfect example of Inca stonemasonry - a natural rock formation began to take shape millions of years ago and the Inca skillfully shaped the rock into the outspread wings of a condor in flight. We climbed past the terraces and reached the top of Machu Picchu and took in the breathtaking views from high on the mountain – Matt even mentioned how small he felt standing there. Again, there aren’t words to describe the sensational feeling one has when witnessing such a spectacular exhibit of natural and man-made beauty; I hope to never forget the awe I felt at that moment.
By this time, our legs were feeling like rubber, our hearts were pounding, and we were getting tired – especially the boys. However, when Mario asked if we would like to continue and visit the “Inca Bridge”, we decided to keep going – after all, it would be our only chance to see it. We reached a guard gate where we had to sign-in before proceeding – they keep a log of all visitors who go to the bridge, as it is dangerous terrain – if you don’t return to sign-out, they’ll know you are missing. Matt, who is afraid of heights, walked with Ian (who was very nervous) while I walked ahead with Alex, holding tightly to his hand. The path on which we walked was situated along a mountain ledge (about 3 feet wide), with a drop-off of several hundred feet on one side – it was good not to look down! After about 15 minutes of carefully making our way along the trail, we reached a point where the “bridge” was visible – yikes! I borrowed this information from Wikipedia to explain in a bit more detail: “This Inca Bridge is a part of a mountain trail that heads west from Machu Picchu. The trail is a stone path, part of which is cut into a cliff face. A twenty-foot gap was left in this section of the carved cliff edge, over a 1,900 feet drop that could be bridged with two tree trunks, otherwise leaving the trail impassable to outsiders.” We can only imagine the number of people who perished attempting to traverse the narrow wooden plank above the canyon – it was a scary sight to behold. We sat on a stone ledge for a family picture, then turned and headed back to safer ground. With our tour of Machu Picchu complete, we took a bus back down the mountain and had a quick dinner before boarding our train back to Cusco. The train took us as far as Ollantaytambo, where we had a van waiting to take us the rest of the way. While Matt and the boys napped, I stared out the window – though it was dark, the night was clear and the full moon lit up the sky, reflecting off of the snow-peaked mountains in the distance. It was a peaceful moment, one in which I tried to absorb all I had learned, seen, and felt that day – I believe I am still processing it all, which is why I’ve written so much about our experience this majestic place.
Before returning to Sao Paulo, we had a few hours to explore more of Cusco. We woke to a sunny morning and walked to the main plaza, then visited the Inca Museum, where we were able to see many of the artifacts that have been discovered throughout the valley and in Machu Picchu; some of items date back to the pre-Incas, even before the time of Christ. We then walked through the busy downtown area of Cusco to a craft market, where we purchased a couple of gifts for John and Deanna – we couldn’t take them to Peru with us, but we can take a bit of Peru to them. Before heading to the airport, we had time for a relaxing lunch – we agree with the belief that Peru has delicious food – and it was time to go. I hope this story has helped to explain a bit of what we experienced on this most amazing journey – in the years to come, as I read about our time in Brazil, I hope these words will help us remember the wonderful things we were able to see and do while living in South America. The day-to-day living in Sao Paulo isn’t always easy, but it is the chance to visit treasures like Machu Picchu that make this adventure one worth taking.
