Machupicchu, Peru - day 3
Day 3 we visited Machupicchu, the 15th century Inca citadel located on an 8,000 foot mountain peak. (It was time to test our bodies and see if they had acclimatized to the high altitude.)
We awoke at 4:00 AM and traveled by bus to the Ollantaytambo train station where we boarded the PeruRail Vistadome for Aguas Calientas at the foot of Machupicchu.
We passed through tunnels and between mountains towering to heights of 20,000 feet or more. The scenery was incredible!
At the train station we boarded buses for the 15-minute ride to the base of the citadel. (Another switchback road, but this one was paved.) Once there our adventure on foot began. Steps, more steps, more...
Finally we reached a vista overlooking the massive "Royal Estate" built for the Incan emperor Pachacuti (1438-1471), most likely after a successful military campaign.
Up more steps to a higher vista.
Mysteriously, the Incas abandoned the Estate before 1500 and the site was never found by the Spanish Conquistadors. It's possible that smallpox arrived from other regions of the Inca civilization (which had already interfaced with the Spanish) and killed most of Machupicchu's residents.
During its use as a royal estate, it is estimated that about 750 people lived here, most serving as support staff for the Emperor. Though the estate belonged to Pachacuti, religious specialists and temporary specialized workers lived there as well, most likely for the ruler's well-being and enjoyment.
Though known locally, it remained unknown to the Spanish Conquistadors and the rest of the world until American Historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911.
The terraced slopes provided space for crops to be grown. Llama and alpaca bones have been found at the site. Since these animals naturally live above 13,000 feet, it is presumed they were were brought here as a source of meat and wool.
After a very long day, we boarded the train for our return trip to the hotel.
Continued -- see day four.
We awoke at 4:00 AM and traveled by bus to the Ollantaytambo train station where we boarded the PeruRail Vistadome for Aguas Calientas at the foot of Machupicchu.
For 90 minutes, the train traveled next to the Urubamba River as it snaked its way along the bottom of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
We passed through tunnels and between mountains towering to heights of 20,000 feet or more. The scenery was incredible!
At the train station we boarded buses for the 15-minute ride to the base of the citadel. (Another switchback road, but this one was paved.) Once there our adventure on foot began. Steps, more steps, more...
Finally we reached a vista overlooking the massive "Royal Estate" built for the Incan emperor Pachacuti (1438-1471), most likely after a successful military campaign.
Up more steps to a higher vista.
Mysteriously, the Incas abandoned the Estate before 1500 and the site was never found by the Spanish Conquistadors. It's possible that smallpox arrived from other regions of the Inca civilization (which had already interfaced with the Spanish) and killed most of Machupicchu's residents.
Machupicchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Many of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared.
During its use as a royal estate, it is estimated that about 750 people lived here, most serving as support staff for the Emperor. Though the estate belonged to Pachacuti, religious specialists and temporary specialized workers lived there as well, most likely for the ruler's well-being and enjoyment.
Though known locally, it remained unknown to the Spanish Conquistadors and the rest of the world until American Historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911.
The terraced slopes provided space for crops to be grown. Llama and alpaca bones have been found at the site. Since these animals naturally live above 13,000 feet, it is presumed they were were brought here as a source of meat and wool.
After a very long day, we boarded the train for our return trip to the hotel.
Continued -- see day four.
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