The most beautiful places youve traveled to

We left the Sun Gate ahead of the masses – one of the benefits of being a small group – just as the mist cleared to give us the first proper view of Machu Picchu. Two months ago the most famous thing I knew about Peru was Paddington Bear. I’d heard of Machu Picchu of course, but had no real idea what it was, but having walked the walk and learning the history it was really a thrill to finally get there.

Machu Picchu was built by the Incas in the 1460s and is thought by many to be a sacred sight because of it’s remote location. When Francisco Pizarro and the Spaniards arrived in Peru in the 1530s looking for gold and treasure the Incas destroyed much of the Inca Trail leading to the citadel in order to protect it from being destroyed. It worked, as following the end of the Inca civilization Machu Picchu remained hidden high in the Andes for nearly 400 years until American explorer Hiram Bingham discovered the immaculate ruins in 1911, most of which was overrun by the jungle. It is the incredible stonework and the spectacular setting of this ‘Lost City’ that people flock to Peru – and Cusco – to see, and for us it was the final destination of our three day trek (thank God!).

After stopping for the obligatory photo-op overlooking the site, Ivan led us on a 2 hour tour of the main ruins, including the incredibly intricate stonework of the Sun Temple. Huge granite boulders were cut and placed together like a jigsaw puzzle, with no cement or mortar. The Incas didn’t even have a written language, and how they managed to cut and fit the stones so perfectly together – let alone move them – remains a mystery to this day adding to Machu Picchu’s mythical aura. I think I would have been far too lazy to have been a productive Inca, and as the clouds wispily drifted by revealing the Urubamba River thousands of feet below, I decided I was definitely too lazy. Hell, I’m not even a productive Englishman.

Ivan left us alone to wander around the ruins which were still fairly empty as the train full of day-trippers doesn’t arrive until about 10:30. By this time we had met up with pill-poppin’-Pat again and together with Tim we inexplicably decided to climb yet another mountain in order to get a hummingbird’s view of Machu Picchu – but I don’t think hummingbirds are daft enough to fly that high. Huayna Picchu is the steep-sided peak in the background of all the classic Machu Picchu postcard views and, believe it or not, those crazy Incans managed to build some things up

A guide to sacred sites

MACHU PICCHU

Machu Picchu, meaning “old peak” is an ancient Incan city located high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, on top of a ridge. It consists of over 200 separate buildings, mostly residences but also temples, storage structures and other public buildings, all built in the characteristic Incan architectural style of polygonal masonry, where stones blocks were cut and fit together almost flawlessly without the use of mortar. The blocks fit together so perfectly that even the blade of a knife is unable to be fit between them. Also unique, is the integration of the landscape into the architecture; existing stone formations were used in the construction of structures, sculptures were carved into the rock, water flows through cisterns and stone channels, and temples hang on steep precipices. Much of this amazing city still exists today, more than 500 years after it’s completion, and as such has been added to the new compilation of the Seven Wonders of the World.

It is believed that around 1200 people, mostly women and children, lived in Machu Picchu. Around 1527, the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the area, destroying many other Incan cities but were never to find Machu Picchu. However, they bought with them Small Pox, which spread to the city and killed at least 50% of the population. As a result, the Incas fell into Civil War and by 1532, Machu Picchu was already all but forgotten.

In 1911, a professor from Yale, Hiram Bingham, rediscovered Machu Picchu with the help of some local guides and bought the ancient city to the attention of the world. It must also be noted, that he also removed from the site hundreds of valuable artefacts, many of which still reside in England despite pleadings from the governments of Peru to have them returned.

Just why Machu Picchu was constructed in the first place is subject to many theories. Some hypothesise that it was and “Ilacta”, a settlement built to control the economy of other conquered Incan regions. Others assert that it may have been built as a prison for those who had committed heinous crimes against Incan society. Still others believe, it was built purely for the purpose of a defensive retreat against invaders.

Most widely believed, however, is that Machu Picchu was an estate built for the Inca emperor, Pachacuti, it’s position selected for its relation to sacred landscape features, such as its mountains, which are in alignment with key astronomical events important to the Incas. Most important is the Intihuatana