Machu Picchu
Day Thirteen - Peru - 2022
Anticipation at one of the world’s most well-known sites.
Map Credit: OpenStreetMap
1. The Bird of Good Omen
There are 27 species of tanager, including the saffron-crowned tanager.
The following morning, we arose bright and early to catch our bus to Machu Picchu. This was the reason for the season: why most of the group came to Peru to begin with, why we all sucked-up the hike the day before, and why we were -yet again- up far, far too early on vacation.
We anticipated that a silver lining of the train strike was that Machu Picchu would be comparatively empty, and sure enough the bus station for Machu Picchu transfers looked pretty empty when we arrived. After taking the famous switchback road up to the visitor’s center, we made our way through the stereotypical but manageable ticket queue.
After passing through the turnstile, a saffron-crowned tanager flew by and landed on a nearby tree. Our guide considered this a very good omen. ‘Bout damn time.
2. Empire of the Clouds
As is normal for that time of year, the Machu Picchu site was completely covered by clouds; however, we were thankful it was not raining.
3. The Outer Walls
The walk up from the visitor’s control point to the site is steep, certainly, but nothing we weren’t prepared to handle at this point.
4. Obscured Vision
The other positive note was that the sun was trying as hard as it could to push the clouds away. We soon reached the top of the ascent from the visitor’s center and found ourselves in a small clearing atop the cultivation terraces and near the so-called House of the Guardians.
5. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #1
It was from this point we decided to try and wait out the clouds. But, man, even being mostly covered by clouds and fog, I still had goose bumps!
I will take a moment to talk through visitor control at the site as it is salient to the rest of our visit. In 2017, the Peruvian government began to limit the number of tickets available to visit Machu Picchu after unmanageable numbers of tourists were causing extensive damage to the site. The tickets allow for either morning or afternoon access to the site and are time restricted. Docents and security personnel are posted across the site to ensure that visitors are not staying beyond their allotted time. Folks may reserve a morning and afternoon ticket on the same day; however, you still need to exit on the morning ticket and reenter the site on the afternoon ticket at the control point.
Once inside, guests may only travel along a one-way circuit with the aforementioned personnel ensuring that backtracking is not possible. Also, some parts of the complex are only open until a certain time while others are first-come-first-served and numbers-restricted. As such, the primary responsibility of a Machu Picchu guide is to ensure their guests’ time is properly managed.
The most evocative pictures of Machu Picchu -the one on all the postcards, posters, Instagram over-embellishments selfies, and tourism advertisements- are taken from a viewpoint at the very beginning of the circuit. The guide must do their best to estimate how long to wait for fog to lift while still leaving adequate time to see the rest of the site.
Our guide estimated the fog would clear within the hour.
6. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #2
While we waited, we were joined by some local wildlife. In the meantime, our guide supplied us with a brief history of the site and its rediscovery.
I won’t bury the lede much more, so please enjoy the reveal of Machu Picchu over the next eight photographs.
7. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #3
While the origins and purpose of Machu Picchu are still debated, it is most likely the site was built in the early- to mid-15th century as a retreat for the ruler Pachacutec, himself being best known for transforming the Kingdom of Cusco into the Inca Empire.
8. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #4
The history of Machu Picchu is complicated primarily by two facts: first, the Inca had no written language and left no record of the purpose of site or the reason for its construction, and …
9. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #5
… Second, the site was abandoned only 80 years after its construction.
10. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #6
While their existence was certainly known to some extent by locals beforehand, it is agreed that Machu Picchu was formally “rediscovered” by American lecturer Hiram Bingham and his team in 1911.
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Now back to the travelogue!
11. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #7
Bingham was seeking the “Lost City of the Incas", and -following leads from various locals and academics- became aware of a site above the Urubamba River; working with a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, Bingham first came upon Machu Picchu on 24 July 1911.
12. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #8
Two local Quechua -named Alvarez and Richard- were living at the site with their families, farming along the original Inca terraces.
13. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #9
Bingham initiated excavations between 1912 and 1915 on the site; he was later accused by locals of the illegal removal of antiquities and ceased further studies.
14. Machu Picchu Viewpoint #10
Machu Picchu became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and was recognized as one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” in 2007.
Almost on cue, the fog lifted right when the guide said it would. And, also almost on cue, we received the word - the train strike was over and we were going to be taking the tourist train back to Ollantaytambo. No hike, no Bus of Death. Things were looking up!
Soon the sun was beating down on the main plaza of the site and the grass shown brilliantly green. With half of our allotted visit time elapsed, we proceeded into the site.
15. The City Gate
The City Gate separates the upper agricultural half of the city from the lower urban section.
Proceeding quickly, we made our way through the main city gate and into the labyrinth of buildings and pathways.
We received several brief lectures on our way through the site concerning the purported purposes of artifacts and architectural design cues. Broadly speaking, most of the key buildings within Machu Picchu had a religious significance. It is speculated that the site’s geographical prominence increased its importance because it was perceived to be closer to the gods above; whether or not this is true, one cannot ignore the large number of temples in such a small area when considering its religiosity.
For once, I don’t have much to add to the story, so here are ten more photographs from the abbreviated tour at Machu Picchu.
16. A Work in Progress
Restoration of Machu Picchu occurs continually, and it is estimated that only about 30% of the site has been reconstructed.
17. Huayna Picchu
A 2022 study revealed the Inca possibly referred to the site as “Huayna Picchu” (“Young Mountain”) rather than Machu Picchu (“Old Mountain”), a reference to the mountain which looms over the location.
18. The Sun Gate
While nowadays exclusively used by Inca Trail hikers, the Sun Gate represented the point where long-distance couriers and messengers would announce themselves and pass off messages for the residents, primarily the Inca royalty.
19. The Temple of the Sun
The Temple of the Sun was the location where religious authorities would give offerings to the sun god, Inti.
20. The Many Buildings of Machu Picchu
21. The Royal Palace
It is speculated that only members of the royal family and religious authorities could enter the Royal Palace.
22. The Main Plaza
23. The Industrial Zone
24. Sun-Drenched Clouds
25. The Residents of Machu Picchu
After skating through the site in good order, we made our way back to the visitor’s center to catch our return bus back to Aguas Calientes. There, we reunited with our Inca Trail compatriots, and made our way back into town.
We had a relatively tight connection to catch our train, so we frantically collected our gear from the hotel, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and caught our early afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo. The ride on the train was peaceful and calm, a far cry from the nonsense on the Bus of Death. Arriving right at sundown, we gathered our hold baggage from our hotel in Ollantaytambo and were soon on our way to Cusco.
Arriving early evening, we checked back into our hotel there, freshened up, and headed to a local Irish pub for food, drinks, and goodbyes as this was the last time the group would be together.
And, yes: I am a man of my word, and I paid for the first round. Best $90 I’ve ever spent.
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P.S.
During this trip, I was away 15 days in total including transit. To give you an idea of how sick I was during that time: I lost about 13 pounds / 5.9 kilograms.
