Old Peak

One of the top tourist attractions in South America (possibly the top one) is Machu Picchu. Up to 3000 tourists per day (in the heavy season) make their way up the Andes to view this spectacular ancient Incan city. As you approach the ruins, you can’t help but notice the surrounding scenery – the mountains are simply beautiful!

Machu Picchu (“Old Peak” in the Quechua language) is comprised of over 140 structures including temples, parks, and residences as well as over 100 agricultural terraces lining the mountainside. Incredibly, the entire city is built of 250 million year old granite on the top of a ridge saddled between two prominent mountain peaks. 

I approached the ruins on foot and my first views from far below illustrate what a feat it was to build an entire city of stone on a mountain ridge at nearly 8000 feet!

Machu Picchu was built by the Incans in the 1400’s and inexplicably abandoned about 100 years later. In fact, by the time the Spanish arrived in 1531, Machu Picchu had been abandoned for so long that even the Incas had forgotten its existence. For this reason, this ancient city was never discovered by the Spanish when they made their way across the Incan empire.

There are a number of theories about why Machu Picchu was built. Was it a summer home for the king, a religious site, a prison, a convent, an agricultural area, or just another city? And why was it abandoned? Since the Incans didn’t leave a written record and the Spanish didn’t know about the city, we’ll never know the whole story behind these ruins.

Fortunately, for modern-day historians, archeologists, and tourists, the site was relatively untouched for hundreds of years. It was forgotten to all but local farmers until Hiram Bingham, a historian and lecturer from Yale University. On a visit to Cusco, Peru, he decided to visit the ancient city of Choquequirao to the south. While trekking through the heavy jungle, he would stop peridically to ask local farmers about the city and guidance to it. The story goes that one farmer replied, “I don’t know anything about Choquequirao, but if you want to see an Incan city, follow me.” The local farmer then took him up the mountain to Machu Picchu, an ancient city completely covered in vegetation and lost to all but a few. Because of its seclusion, what he found was incredible and incredibly rare –an entire city in ruins, but only the ruins of the passing of time, undamaged by those who have come before. So in July 1911, Machu Picchu was introduced to the rest of the world.

In the 100 years since its “discovery,” 30% of the buildings have been restored, complete with thatched roofs to make it easier for tourists to picture the city as it once was.

Walking around the expansive city is somehow magical. Especially early in the morning before the fog lifts. It´s quiet, and peaceful, and seems like a beautiful place to live – what incredible views to wake up to each morning!

The buildings are beautiful, in and of themselves. Incan architecture is known for its precise masonry.  The huge stones were cut so exactly that buildings and walls were made without the need for mortar. They also made their buildings earthquake proof by using juts and inlays between the stones. Despite many Incan ruins being in areas with much seismic activity, the buildings have remained standing for hundreds of years due to this detailed work.

One more thing I must share: when Bingham first explored the city he found it nearly empty of artifacts and relics.  The locals had plundered much of the gold, silver, pottery and jewelry long before. During his 1911 expedition and those that followed, Bingham found that many locals had these artifacts as decorations in their homes. Bingham bought and bartered for all the artifacts he could find to get a better picture of the city and its origins. (Accordingly, it is unclear if all the relics and artifacts obtained by Bingham were actually from Machu Picchu.) However, at the time, these items (along with human remains from the site) were taken back to Yale University for 18 months of further study. Sadly, they remain at Yale to this day. For years, Yale claimed that Peru didn´t have the infrastructure to properly care for these ancient treasures. The Pervian government has been negotiating for the return of this important part of their cultural heritage for many years and in November 2010, an agreement was reached. The hope was to have the items returned in time for the 100 year anniversary in July 2011. Unfortunately, it hasn´t yet happened.

While I certainly don´t know all the details, I hope that everything is returned to Peru so that its citizens (and thousands of international tourists) can enjoy them along with the ruins.

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