Visiting Machu Picchu, Peru
Hello friends,
Today I am going to talk about my visit to Machu Picchu in Peru.
Machu Picchu ( "Old peak" in the local Quechua language) is a 15th-century Inca citadel built on a mountain ridge 2,430 meters above sea level. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, and is often voted as one of the Wonders of the World. A historic site in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
It overlooks the Sacred Valley, through which the Urubamba River flows (1).
I visited Machu Picchu back in 2009. There were organized tours that would take you from your hotel in Cusco over to Machu Picchu, and back again. Part of the journey was done by train, through a stunning landscape.
I really enjoyed my train ride. All those beautiful green mountains and valleys, and the rivers rushing along.
For the adventurous types, there are hiking trails that will take you to Machu Picchu by foot, the way the Incas went there themselves hundreds of years ago. These treks require a certain physique and fitness, and on top of that you have to take into account that the air is thinner at these altitudes which makes exercise more difficult, but a lot of people opted for those. I bet their efforts were well rewarded.
Back to my journey, we eventually reached our destination, Aguas Calientes.
Aguas Calientes is the terminal for the train service from Cusco, with many hotels and restaurants for tourists, as well as natural hot baths, which gave the town its colloquial name (Aguas Calientes means "hot springs" in Spanish) (2).
Machu Picchu was built around 1450, at the height of the Inca civilization, and abandoned about 100 years later when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived. We know that the Conquistadors never found Machu Picchu from the fact that they didn't plunder it. In their efforts to enforce Christianity on the locals, the Conquistadors ruined the sacred rocks of the Incas in many locations in Peru, like the Ottomans plastered over the mosaics and frescoes of the Christian Orthodox churches. At Machu Picchu, these rocks were found untouched.
Actually, the Conquistadors had notes of a place called Piccho, but they never found it, because Machu Picchu is not visible from below, and because it was overrun by vegetation.
It lay unnoticed until in 1911, American historian and explorer Hiram Bingham arrived at the region, and was shown to Machu Picchu by a local farmer. Bingham understood that he found something worthwhile, and returned to excavate. The rest is history.
From Aguas Calientes you board a bus to go up the hill, along a narrow winding road, to the site. From the top, if you look down, you see the Sacred Valley and the Urubamba River .
And finally I arrived to my destination, 11,000 kilometers away from my home.
And that's the end of today's post. I hope you liked it, and that you will follow me to the next one, for more pictures of Machu Picchu. Have a good day, and speak to you soon!
References
1.Text from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu.
2.Text from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machupicchu,_Peru.
Great pictures. What an amazing place to visit!
thank you playfulfoodie. yes it was an experience.
man that would be a fun trip
yes it was amazing.
Lovely pictures. I especially liked the 4th, 7th and 8th images - the housing structure with the stone WALL around it - that's my favorite.
The mountains are surely rugged, as seen in the final 3 pics. Thanks for sharing this area. I can see why it is named among the Wonders of the World
thank you. i will be posting more pictures soon. beautiful place
I have always wanted to travel there. Maybe someday. Thanks for the share!
np automaton. i am glad you like the post.