old stuff.

As to be expected in Peru - especially in the heart of the former Inca Empire - I saw a lot of old stuff. Seriously, it's an archaeologist's paradise, and for better or worse, a tourist mecca. Within the borders of present-day Peru, one can find the built remains of numerous Pre-Columbian cultures, including those of the Chavin (~900-200 BCE), Paracas (~600-175 BCE), Moche (~100-800 CE), Nasca (~1-750 CE), Tiahuanaco (~300-1000), Wari (~500-900 CE), Chimú (~900-1470 CE), and Inca (~1250-1533 CE). Cusco and the neighboring Sacred Valley is home to a plethora of (mostly) Inca building and agricultural sites - the evidence shall follow.

Pikillacta

As I said before, Cusco and its surrounds were once the home of the Inca Empire, but interspersed among the Inca remains is a Wari site, Pikillacta ("City of Fleas"). An Andean ghost town, my friend and I were the only ones wandering around the site, virtually clueless to its purpose to the Wari culture. Though my sources are disputable, Pikillacta apparently was once a military, storage, and/or administrative outpost. I'm not quite sure. Gypsum can be found on some of the walls, indicating that the complex was once completely white. There was a "museum" at the entrance to the site, but it only chronicled the excavations, rather than provide information for the uneducated tourist. And a massive, prehistoric shell and skeleton of an armadillo - seriously. There's also a massive gateway just outside of the complex built originally by the Wari, and later fortified by the Inca Empire.

Qorikancha and Santo Domingo

Cusco (or Qosqo in Quechua) held the seat of the Inca Empire and the city was filled with temples and holy sites. Until the Spanish arrived. Santo Domingo, a Dominican church and monastery, sits upon the remains of Qorikancha ("Golden Palace"). The Spanish often appropriated indigenous religious spaces as the foundations of their Catholic churches - in addition to Santo Domingo, Cusco's Cathedral and the Jesuit church, La Compañia (likely there are others I'm unaware of) both sit on top of the foundations of other Inca temples. This sends a very strong message to a conquered people, though the Spanish were not the first to utilize this method in the Andes - the Inca did this as well to other Andean cultures.

Qorikancha held the Temple of the Sun (the church of Santo Domingo uses the foundations of this temple), Temple of the Moon, Temple of Venus and the Stars, and the Temple of Lightning. Gold had no monetary value within the Inca Empire, but it held religious significance and was said to cover all the walls of the temples. Likely that gold is now the gilding used in churches in Peru and other former Spanish colonies.

Saqsaywaman

Saqsaywaman (yes, pronounced very similarly to "sexy woman") resides on a hill overlooking Cusco. There are two theories regarding the purpose of the site, either it was a military fortress, or a large sanctuary and temple to the Sun. Likely it was the latter as remains of priests were found in the complex, but who knows as the Spanish were pretty successful in destroying any supporting evidence. And over the years, colonial Cusco was built up by the stone from Saqsaywaman. Even so, the site is still rather impressive - the stones that make up the zig-zag shape of the walls weigh up to 130 tons, which would have been a feat to construct into a building complex, let alone move the individual stones. According to our guide, one can see representations of animals in the walls, such as llamas, snakes, fish, and guinea pigs (photo of llama on the left, guinea pig on the right). I could see them, but it could also be wishful thinking - again, who knows.

Tipon

Tipon was pretty amazing and lacked the tourists found at Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu (both below). I'm not sure how much of it was reconstructed (again, not much written information there and my friend and I decided against hiring a tour guide), but it was incredible to see the way water was used and channeled throughout the site. I would imagine Tipon was used for agriculture, as the other terraced sites were as well (and would explain the water channels).

Ollantaytambo

The day we went to Ollantaytambo, it poured. And apparently many people go to Ollantaytambo on Sunday - when we were there - thanks to the scheduling of group tours and such. So while keeping our eyes to the ground, we attempted to navigate around hundreds of tourists - with cameras in hand - who likely just wanted to be back on the bus and on the way to Machu Picchu. However, I digress. Again, terracing = agriculture, and this outpost was built by a military general, whose name naturally escapes me. This was also a temple complex and it is said that the face of the most venerated god, Viracocha, is carved into a neighboring mountain. If so, he looks a bit like Grumpy, the dwarf.

Moray

Somehow my friend and I dedicated an entire day to Moray. That's not to say the site or the surroundings are not worth the time - they very much are - just we had some transportation... issues. Be slightly skeptical if a taxista says he can take you somewhere, somewhere he's never been (this would not be the last time a taxi driver would "know" where he was going).

It is said that Moray was used as a nursery and that each terrace has a different microclimate. The impressive terracing of Moray is perhaps only surpassed by the incredible mountain surroundings - the Andean highlands really remind me of Colorado (dry, red dirt, rugged snow-capped mountains).

Machu Picchu

And as promised, Machu Picchu. Located at the "eyebrow" of the jungle (the train ride from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes - the town at the foot of Machu Picchu - illustrates the sudden transformation from arid to temperate climate), Machu Picchu ("Old Mountain") is the only major Inca site to survive untouched by the Spanish, as it was unknown to the majority of the world until just under a century ago. In 1911 Hiram Bingham was led to the site by a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga (indicating that locals were perfectly aware of Machu Picchu prior to western arrival), and since has become one of the top destinations for the traveling fiend. Continuing an aged tradition of taking things that aren't theirs, Bingham and his Yale entourage took many of the artifacts back to Yale, and the University has yet to give them back to Peru (apparently it's being discussed).

Nevertheless, Machu Picchu - as to be expected - is breath-taking. Scholars are still trying to figure out what the exact purpose of the site was, though likely it was a retreat of sorts for the privileged and royal family. It was built by Pachacútec, the ninth Inca (the title of Inca is used only for the ruler) who was responsible for massive architectural campaigns throughout the Andes. As it stands, Machu Picchu is not self-sustaining, supporting theories that either it was a temporary residence, or abandoned before it was completed, possibly in order to save it from Spanish plunder and destruction.

I had the fortune of visiting Machu Picchu a total of three times (regrettably not by Inca or alternative trail - next time!), yet I seemed to take the same pictures each time - the view of the site is truly commanding and difficult for the photographer to not be drawn to! My friend and I missed the opportunity to climb Wayna Picchu ("New Mountain" - the mountain at the left of the photo above) by about 5 people - only 400 are allowed on it per day, and we were likely 405 and 406. Instead we hiked to Intipunku ("Sun Gate") to see how one would approach the city on the Inca Trail.

What I find most interesting about Inca architecture is the lack of desire to build up. Most civilizations are concerned about reaching the heavens, while the Inca Empire attempted to become one with the landscape, or at most subtly change the landscape around them. I think this is partly due to the reverence of Pachamama (Quechua/Spanish word meaning "Mother Earth"). Other cultures, initially had large cult followings to a mother earth diety (such as Artemis to the Ancient Greeks, who was part of a duality with Apollo, sun and sky god), yet they grew out of fashion as male sun gods and other gods of the heavens became more powerful and dominant in various cultures (and still remain so - consider Jehovah, God, Allah, etc). Of course the Sun God was revered in the Andes, but it was part of a duality - earth and sky - that remained important to the people and their various religions. I can get into a whole treatise about this, but I won't, I just think it's pretty cool that the Inca Empire, as well as its Andean predecessors, were so connected to the land.

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