Pachamama
Journeys
the path of beauty
MACHU PICCHU, THE CRYSTAL CITY
Is one of the "Lost City of the Inkas," "City of Light for Initiates," An ancient
site fed by grids of powerful natural energies patterned by surrounding
mountains and extensive underground tunnels.

Shamanic belief is that for centuries this site served as an initiatory centre for
higher learning. The sanctuary cover many square kilometers constructed of
mortared terraces and connected by endless stairs carved from solid rock all
around the mountains. Throughout the ages, the sheltered temple sights,
geophysically conducive atmospheres were used for ritual and mind-altering
experiences. Shamanic legend says that touching one's forehead to the
Intiwantana Stone opens one's vision into the Spirit World. Tune into Wakas
(sacred spots) of individual rocks and boulders. Experience here the classic
"magical flight" of shamanic ecstasy.

History: Rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911, Machu Picchu was
unknown to the Christians. Its reason for existence remains under debate.
Provably it was built and populated by the family of one Inka ruler,
Pachakkutek. Machu Picchu was a kind of university where the children of the
leaders of other Andean cultures conquered by the Inkas were taken to
Machu Picchu to be taught the Inka way of life. At any rate, as we wander
through the maze of empty plazas, chambers and dwellings saddled atop
steep mountainsides, we will be unable to resist our own speculations at the
impenetrable mystery of these stones. Today it is a Historic National
Sanctuary, protected by the Peruvian Government, that tries to conserve the
geological formations and archaeological remains inside the Sanctuary,
besides protecting its flora, fauna and landscape's beauty. The whole park
has an extension of 80,535 acres (32,592 hectares; 125.83 mile).

Locale and Climate: Machu Picchu (the Inkan City) is located on kilometer
112 (70 miles) of the Cusco-Quillabamba railway; the train station is in Aguas
Calientes village with an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,560 feet). From that
station there are buses in order to get to South-America's most famous
Archaeological Group that is found at an average altitude of 2,450 meters
(8,038 feet). The climate in that sector has also some characteristics that are
found all over the region; thus, only two well defined seasons are
distinguished: the rainy season in the area goes between November to April,
and the dry season from May to October. Machu Picchu is near the
commencement of the Cusquenian Amazonian Jungle, so the chance of
having rains or showers is possible any time of the year. In the hottest days it
is possible to get even about 26° Celsius (78.8° Fahrenheit), while that in the
coldest early mornings in June and July the temperature may drop to 8° C.;
the average annual temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. Between May to
August the weather is beautiful because the skys are nearly always blue and
clear.

Geology: The Machu Picchu Historic National Sanctuary is found over a
great granite orogenic structure baptized by Dr. Isaiah Bowman as the
"Vilcabamba Batholith" that outcrops over about 400 km (154 mile). Its
formation belongs in the scale of geological time to the Paleozoic or Inferior
Primary and may have an approximate age of 250 million years.

Origin of Name: Machu Picchu (like most of the Quechua names of towns
and different sites in the region) is a compound word that comes from machu
= old or ancient, and picchu = peak or mountain; therefore, Machu Picchu is
translated as "Old Mountain". The famous mountain that is seen in front, and
appears in most of the classical views of the site is named Wayna Picchu
(Young Mountain). Unfortunately the original names of the mentioned sectors
are lost, Machu Picchu, Wayna Picchu and some other proper names used
today are contemporary ones; ascribed probably by farmers living in the
region before Bingham's arrival. However, according to studies about some
XVI century documents, the original name of the whole area might be "Picchu".

History: It is known that Hiram Bingham, a descendant of missionaries, was
the man who rediscover Machu Picchu for the contemporary world and
modern science. He was a North-American historian born in Honolulu, Hawaii;
who in 1907 taught the South-American History and Geography course in
Yale University. Later he was chosen as delegate of his country to the First
Pan-American Scientific Congress carried out in Chile in 1908. By that epoch
he began his activities as explorer taking a horseback journey from Caracas
to Bogota, following the Simon Bolivar's way. Then he followed the old colonial
trade way from Buenos Aires to Lima, arriving to this Andean zone in 1909; it
is in that year when from Abancay he started with his first exploration towards
Choquekirau, trying to find the last Inkan Capital. By that time many myths
had been created about the possibility of finding the "Inkas' treasures" that
according to tradition had been taken by Manko Inka is his retreat to
Willkapampa (willka = sacred, pampa = plain; its Spanish form is
"Vilcabamba"); thus it was so common by that epoch to find treasure hunters
willing to get to this last Inkas' dwelling. That same intention moved Bingham
to study chronicles and even to visit Spanish archives, and subsequently in
1911 to come back to Peru with the aim of performing studies of geology and
botany, and for sure, also in order to try finding Willkapampa.

In Cusco, Albert Giesecke, a compatriot of his and rector of the local
University had put him in touch with Braulio Polo y la Borda, owner of Mandor.
That local landlord told Bingham that on the hill in front of his property there
were ancient constructions covered by vegetation where cattle were
frequently lost; and moreover, he introduced Bingham to Eduardo Lizarraga,
a farmland renter living in the area since the 70s of the 19th century, who had
seen the buildings. On July 23th, 1911 Bingham showed up in Mandor along
with a policeman, Sergeant Carrasco, who escorted him by order of Cusco's
Prefect Juan Jose Nuñez. They found in his hut the peasant Melchor Arteaga
who told Bingham about the existence of two Inkan sites named Machu Picchu
and Wayna Picchu; that same peasant was hired by Bingham to be the guide
in order to get to the Inkan City. The next day, after examining the field they
decided to climb up. After noon they arrived at another hut where they found
Anacleto Alvarez and Toribio Recharte; they were two humble peasants who
along with their families lived in the area and cultivated the pre-Hispanic
farming terraces. After a short break, they provided a boy as the guide for
Bingham in order to have a first look of the Inkan buildings that were
completely covered with entangled vegetation. That was how Bingham, at 35
years old, stumbled onto Machu Picchu; a fortuitous happening that made
manifest a great "discovery".

Almost immediately after his first exploration, he went back to the USA looking
for economic support that was granted to him by the Yale University and the
National Geographic Society. Subsequently, the Peruvian government in Lima
facing Bingham's request in order to execute works in Machu Picchu, by
means of law given on October 31th, 1912, authorized him to carry out his
projected works. Besides, according to the fourth article of that authorization
Bingham could freely take out of the country all the obtained pieces during his
explorations, but with commitment of giving them back to Peru's simple
petition. Authorization in the name of "international etiquette" that infringed
some legal rules and caused irreparable damage to Peru's cultural heritage.
Inka Trail to Machu Picchu
It was part of the Inka highway system (Qhapaq Ñan) and is one of the most
important South American trekking routes. Along the hike, you can see
several gorges and streams that originate from glaciers. There are a few
archaeological monuments along the trail, such as Qoriwayrachina,
Llaqtapata, Runkuraqay, Sayaqmarka, Phuyupatamarka, Intipata, Wiñay
Wayna and Intipunku. The starting point of the trip varies according to the
trail you wish to take. The most popular route starts around kilometer marker
82 (Piskakucho) of the railroad Cusco – Machu Picchu (40 km / 25 miles from
the city itself). Another possibility, shorter in time, is called the Sacred Trail,
and begins at kilometer marker 104 (Chachabamba) of the railroad.