Day 2,182 of Traveling the World | Machu Picchu, Peru | January 21, 2024
Jan and Mike
What an adventure! We had a great day in the misty mountains. “Machu Picchu” (Quechan for Old Mountain) sounds so exotic, a place many travelers place on their bucket lists. We will just say – it is rainy season here, so we walked for 3-4 hours through the lost city in a steady rain, as our shoes, socks, and legs got soaked (no umbrellas are permitted) – and we are thrilled with the photo results of this city in the Andes Mountains encompassed by clouds and fog. It was already other-worldly for us, but in the rain it truly felt like ancient times, and the scenery was gorgeous and breathtaking.
The city was re-discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911, who was guided to it by an 11-year-old boy. Mostly covered in vegetation, he didn’t think much of it at first. Commonly called The Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu dates to the 1400s and sits on a ridge between two peaks at 8,000 feet. Built as a royal estate for an Incan emperor, Pachacutec, Machu Picchu was inhabited from 1420-1530 AD. The city was likely abandoned due to native deaths from smallpox, introduced by travelers infected by Spanish conquistadors. When re-discovered, of course, the site had been overtaken by vegetation, with just a few visible buildings. When fully cleared, archaeologists were able to determine that the city consists of residential areas, terraces for farming, warehouses, tombs, temples, and sanctuaries. In addition, there are more than 100 individual flights of stairs, with most steps consisting of a single piece of carved stone.
An amazing day, an amazing place. We weren’t fully aware that we would be able to walk through the ruins. The pictures we had always seen were just of the overview, as in our first photo. But we walked for hours through all the different levels (in the rain) after having walked up many sets of stairs. It was well worth it, but we were glad that we weren’t older, as it was a bit strenuous. If you are longing to visit a place off the beaten track that is well worth the trouble, Machu Picchu should be on your list for future travel. It is easily one of the most astonishing places we have ever visited.
Last night, we rented the movie Secret of the Incas, from 1954, starring Charlton Heston. It cost $4.00 on Amazon Prime. Filmed mostly in Cusco and Machu Picchu, it was very interesting to watch, seeing what both places looked like 70 years ago. Cusco looked small, like a trading outpost, but with a plaza and cathedral. Today it has almost half a million residents! And we were astonished that in filming at Machu Picchu, they allowed actors to stand on top of 500-year-old structures. It was not yet a World Heritage Site, and looked much more rural. The walkways were overgrown with grass, and of course, were not well-marked, nor were there any handrails. We noticed some walls that we passed were, back then, collapsed. They have now restored most of the fallen walls and stones. It is always interesting to us to see a movie filmed in a place we just visited, and the separation of 70 years was eye-popping. We could also tell which scenes used a fabricated set, as the walls were made of completely flat modern rocks with mortar!
Some (likely younger) tourists choose to hike the Inca Trail, hiring guides, and packing tents and supplies, then trekking for four days to reach Machu Picchu. For us, on a guided tour, it took quite a bit of maneuvering. First, there was a flight from Lima to Cusco, the gateway city to the site. Next, you take a (bumpy) two-hour road trip to the Sacred Valley, just below the mountains that encompass Machu Picchu. From the Sacred Valley: another (bumpy) 30-minute bus trip to the Ollantaytambo train station. That train trip then takes two hours, and snakes along the Urubamba River. Upon arrival at the Machu Picchu station, guess what? There is then a 20-30 minute bus ride to the actual, real entrance to the World Heritage Site. Once you arrive, wait in line, and pay $40 US, you are ready to climb hundreds of stairs to the top! We are so glad we had a guide; how would you like to do all of that on your own??
The lost city of Machu Picchu, re-discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
There are several restored huts with thatched roofs.
A closer view of the city.
One of the stone staircases inside Machu Picchu.
We climbed up this staircase to the highest level possible – no “Lower Platform” for us!
…and lots more climbing once we thought we had arrived.
The dry stones used in construction were so finely set that they have held together for six centuries with no mortar, and a not even a knife blade can be inserted between the rocks.This astonishing level of precision effectively made the structures earthquake-proof.
Still standing!
You can see the terraces built to deter erosion and used for farming. The terraces have also held up well after many centuries.
Here, Machu Picchu looks like it is ready to tumble over the cliff.
More of the impressive rock work. Built between two geologic fault lines, stones were plentiful due to earthquakes loosening the rocks.
You can see here how buildings were constructed into the side of the mountain – lots of connecting staircases and pathways.
Looking over the ridge to the lower part of the city.
The structure at the lower right is the sacred Temple of the Sun, where only higher nobles were permitted to enter.
Some of these apertures were windows and some were niches for placing sacred objects.
There was a row of pretty vegetation on this upper level walkway.
Another view of the terraces. Imagine pushing some of the stones uphill to this isolated location. The larger stones required hundreds of men, as the Incans did not use wheels, nor did they generally use the technique we have understood other ancient cultures have used of sliding the stones across rolling logs. As an answer to a question about that idea, our guide told us to look around and notice the dearth of large trees. He further explained that only “brush-type” trees were endemic to the area. The few larger, more “woody” trees that we saw had been introduced from other areas.
The constant views of mountains and peaks are all around the complex.
The Monolith Stone used to occupy the middle of this field, but in 1978, it was temporarily moved for a helicopter landing by the King and Queen of Spain. It was replaced, but in moving it again in 1989 to provide a landing for helicopters for a meeting of Latin American leaders, workers broke it. It was buried on site.Helicopters are no longer allowed to land here.
More stonework on display here. Some say that Machu Picchu was never quite “lost,” just kept quiet by the locals.
Wonderful views just fade into the fog.
A stone houseon site.
The sign says One Way, but people were walking any which way they wanted. Most visitors have a tour guide, but it is possible to wander around by yourself.
More clouds and fog.
Another great view of the stonework and the multiple levels of Machu Picchu, built on a ridge between peaks.
It is hard to believe that the city was re-discovered with so much vegetation covering it that these structures weren’t visible.
The Urubamba River can be seen down in the valley between mountains.
Walking through the paths sometimes made us feel that we were in a labyrinth, so we were happy to have a guide to lead us.
This is a typical home in the residential area of the site.
The round stones are Star Mirrors – the Incans would fill them with water and observe the night sky in them. When they were first found, the discs were thought to have been used for grinding grain. Later, archaeologists realized that the bottoms of the bowls weren’t smoothed, and their true use was discovered.
One of the windows in a residence with a view of the neighbors.
A lone tree on a terrace. On the terraces in the background, the Incans grew potatoes, corn, and quinoa.
More daunting stairs.
Yes, water spouts were incorporated into the city design – an engineering marvel for its time. Since it was raining, we could follow this stream of water and saw that it disappeared below and then reemerged near the path several times. Very complicated construction for an ancient city that has survived 600 years.
Another unusual view of the city.
The surrounding peaks looked different from different angles, almost like they were playing with us.
A few modern tourist amenities, like the wooden staircase and handrails on the right, have been added for safety.
The steep terrace walls have held up amazingly well.
The rainy season makes everything here so green.
People can be seen walking along the upper level.
About a dozen alpacas walked down this staircase right in front of us. Each one waited at the top until the first one was all the way down, looking like they were fashion models on a runway, waiting their turn. (We loved the alpacas, which they also had in the lobby of our hotel. They are very calm and sweet.)
We didn’t know until we had come out of the park, but we had taken the longest, highest route up the mountain. Can you see the symbols on the bottom left? No touching, no drones, no weapons, no food, no selfie sticks, no tripods, no umbrellas, no smoking, no tripping/falling, no high heels, no canes, no music, no fires, no drugs! We tried not to trip and fall, even though we didn’t know there was a rule prohibiting it.
This video gives you a feel of visiting Machu Picchu in the rain, incorporating many of the photo viewpoints already presented.
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