It may have taken us a while to get there, but Machu Picchu is worth it. It's stunning. 

Our day began at 5am because the buses start leaving Aguas Calientes at 5:30am. There was a line of people waiting for the bus but it moved quickly and we were on our way shortly after 5:30am. The buses climbed the mountain through a series of switchbacks and as we ascended, the sun started to rise and it was clear that we were headed toward something really special.  

When we arrived there was a pretty long line at the entrance but once the park opened at 6am it moved very quickly. To get into the site you must have an official ticket and your passport. 

Upon entering the site, we stopped to admire the view and then took the obligatory photos thinking it would get a lot more crowded later. 

At 7am, we could hike to the top of the actual mountain Machu Picchu.  The hill you see behind us in the photos above is called Huayana Picchu. Machu Picchu sits across from Huayana Picchu and while it's peak is less pointy, it is much higher.  We wanted to hike Huayana Picchu, but there is a daily limit for hikers and tickets were sold out a week in advance. We were able to snag a couple tickets for Machu Picchu mountain instead. The hike was challenging, especially being in high altitude but the view was spectacular.  Here are some photos and a video from about 3/4 of the way to the top of Machu Picchu. 

We almost made it to the top but turned around about 3/4 of the way up because we were running out of time and were afraid we wouldn't be able to take a full tour of the ruins.  

By the time we got back down the mountain we were incredibly tired and hungry. We rested in a spot with a great view of the ruins. Then  we left the park to get some food at the cafe.  It was probably 10:30am and there was no line at the entrance. Everyone had come first thing in the morning. Because Peru limits the number of people who arrive each day, the site didn't feel that crowded.

Maria is from Aguas Calientes and is incredibly passionate about Machu Picchu. She told us that she could never live anywhere else in the world because Machu Picchu is a huge mystery and every day she visits the site, she observes something new. Since so much is unknown about this culture, these observations are like tiny puzzle pieces that bring her one small step closer to understanding how the Incas lived. 

We had already learned a lot from our tour in the Sacred Valley but Maria was choc full of new information:

- Machu Picchu was never finished. The Incas were in the process of building it when the Spanish conquistadors arrived.  Once the Spanish started demolishing their cities and temples, the Incas abandoned Machu Picchu, burned all bridges and destroyed all roads leading to the city in order to hide it.  They did a good job. The ruins were not discovered until 1911, when American Hiram Bingham, introduced it to the world. This is why it's often referred to as the Lost City of the Incas. 

-Construction likely began in 1450 and it was probably abandoned in 1572 when the Spanish arrived.  If this is true, the Incas only lived here for a little over 100 years. 

-The city is about 8,000 feet above sea level and the terraces go all the way down the mountain to the river. It's likely the Incas started building the city from the river up to the peak. The terraces are used for 3 purposes: 1) agriculture - it gave them more space to grow a variety of crops at different climate levels 2) structural support- they supported the city, preventing it from falling down the mountain 3) decorative - they look pretty and were also in the form of the Chakana or Inca cross. 

-They didn't use fancy tools to break apart the rock. The rock has natural fissures or cracks. The Incas would wedge a piece of wood into these gaps and saturate the wood with water, causing the wood to expand and break apart the rock into smaller pieces. Then they would polish the rock with other rocks to create stone cubes used for building.  

- The location of Machu Picchu was strategic. Why choose to build a city so remote and high up?  There were a few reasons. First, there was a natural rock quarry on the site which was their main resource for construction.  Second, there was a natural spring that ran through the site that supplied water to the entire city. Third, they wanted to avoid floods which regularly destroyed towns in the valleys. Lastly, they wanted to avoid landslides and this site in particular was a little flatter and rockier than the surrounding mountains and therefore less likely to fall apart. 

- The water spring was very important.  They built a series of channels and fountains that run throughout the city.  Experts believe that the same amount of water that flowed during the time of the Incas still flows today. 

- There are several theories about who lived at Machu Picchu.  The most common theory is that only nobles, priests and scholars lived here. Farmers and peasants came to work the land but returned to their villages after work. 

- You can tell where the important people lived by the quality of the stone. For example, temples were among the nicest buildings with the best craftsmanship and beautifully polished stone.   The King's house and the priest's house were also nicely done.  The lesser nobles' homes were made of stone that was less polished and structured.  In Inca times, those buildings would have been covered with clay.  Note, it's believed that the King did not live here permanently but only visited for about 2 weeks at a time. 

The Incas built all doors and windows in the shape of a trapezoid because it's sturdier. According to our guide, they got this idea by observing humans. If you stand with your feet together and something hits you or the earth moves, you are more likely to fall down than if you were to stand with your feet wide apart. 

- Machu Picchu was a full working city.  They had gardens, a central lawn where they held parties, schools, temples, and storage units. They also had a city map and a weatherman!

Religion was very important to the Incas and they had various temples throughout Machu Picchu.  The Temple of the Sun was one of the most important and was located right next to the King's house. This is a semi-circular structure with two windows - one aligned directly with the sunrise during summer solstice in June and  the other aligned with the sun during the winter solstice in December.  When the sun came directly through each window and reflected off of a stone in the temple, the priest knew it was a new year (their new year began on the June solstice). This was the most important day of the year and the city celebrated with festivals and feasts for weeks. 

Another important structure is the Temple of the Condor -  which is stone carved into the shape of a condor - the totem for Heaven. There are many theories about the purpose of this temple. Some say the priest made sacrifices to the god of heaven on the head of the condor and then carried the animal into the temple as a metaphor for feeding the god.  They also discovered dungeons below this temple. 

It was truly a spectacular day! We caught at 2:30 train back to Ollantaytambo and then hired a taxi to take us back to Cusco for about 30 soles which is the equivalent of about $12.  Not bad for a two hour ride back into town! 

Upon our return to Cusco, our main packs (we only carried the mini packs to Machu) were waiting in another lovely little room at the Rumi Wasi.  We showered, picked up a couple sandwiches (Chris finally had his chicharones sandwich) and went to bed early.  We had an early flight to the jungle the next morning!

Hi Class 2A! We have another question for you.  The Incas considered the condor, puma, and snake to be sacred animals because they represented each world - heaven, earth and the underworld.  There was another animal that was very important to the Incas.  Can you name the animal?