Sacred Valley of the Incas

I remember the first time I went traveling abroad. I was sixteen at the time, and I was enchanted with the land of Italy; the narrow cobblestoned streets of Florence, the stadium and battlegrounds of the coliseum, and castles on hills still inhabited from long ago. I was so impressed with the history. I was discovering a world that had been built before the New World, our world, was even "discovered" (loosely used, seeing as how there were already people living there, just not the ones writing history), where building foundations were older than the foundation of my country. This kind of history, so rich, so deep, still so very present, did not exist for us in the States. For the Americas however, it does. Mayan pyramids, Inca citadels, and numerous other ancient sites from other ancient cultures sprout up throughout the Americas. And they in no way lack in grandeur, mystery (in how things were accomplished, what was achieved, known history and culture, etc.), and beauty when compared to their counterparts around the world. Arriving in Cuzco I was in the land the Incas rose out of, establishing their empire across an impressive amount of South America.

Cuzco is the base for the most popular trek and destination in all of South America, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. At a whopping $450 for a four day, all inclusive trip over 35 km of terrain, surrounded by hundreds of tourists and porters, I decided that was about the last way I wanted to see Machu Picchu. Many other alternatives exist, like bike rides and other treks, (some at almost $800 for a seven day all inclusive!), but I decided I would do it my own way, taking local busses through the Sacred Valley, visiting other Inca sites along the way, before climbing the stairs to Machu Picchu to the park entry gate.

The Sacred Valley is rich in Inca ruins and heritage, and also has absolutely stunning scenery of the Andean mountain range. The first stop was Pisac, where the Incas set up various sites to live in, worship, and defend themselves. Perched dramatically upon a ridge above the valley floor, it offered stunning views, and exploring the deftly carved stone buildings, terraced landscape, and intricacies of Inca city planning was quite impressive. I hiked up, taking steep, ancient stairways into crumbling buildings and fortifications, and made my way around to the various sites spread out along the ridge. It is amazing the little details you can notice and questions that arise. Such as where the heck did they find all the stones to build all the buildings, terrace walls, etc. They must have had to haul them from miles around, and some of them are HUGE! The skill they had in carving the stones was amazing as well. Huge blocks with acute angles, fitting snuggly together as if molded out of a factory, not carved by hand. There was channeling of spring water for use in the villages, and aqueducts to carry it to the terraces for irrigation. Pathways had gutters to the side to channel water away from the walkway, lined with stones to prevent erosion. Their level of engineering and planning was quite impressive, though perhaps I was the only one noticing that since I am one of those geeky engineers.

ALL PISAC PHOTOS

From Pisac I went on to Ollantaytambo, an Inca town, fortress, and holy site as well. The town itself has been lived in continously for 700 years, and its narrow cobblestoned streets are pleasant to walk through. Flanked on two sides by mountainside fortifications, Ollantaytambo is one of the few sites where Incas defeated the Spanish in battle. One side is especially eloborate as it also served as a place of religious worship. Again, deft stone work existed, and huge stones taken from river quarries below overlook the river basin from atop the ridge. You can also find a stone wall elaborately notched with stairways, walkways, and window shelves, impressive to view now, but probably more so when it was in use.

ALL OLLANTAYTAMBO PHOTOS

It was then on to Aguas Calientes to the base of Machu Picchu. I had thus far spent $2 on 4 hours of transportation from Cusco, but then had to shell out $31 for a 2 hour train ride to Aguas Calientes, and $43 more for the return. Behold the power of tourism. I arrived in town about 9:00, bought my entry to Machu Picchu (another $20 for the student ticket, way more for the normal one), and then went to bed to wake up early for the pre-dawn climb to Machu Picchu.