Ascending the mountain Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu it the most visited tourist point of Peru. Well preserved pre-Columbian Inca ruins are located on a tall mountain ridge at the elevation of around 2350m. They stand some 70 kilometres north-west of the city of Cusco. Although the natives never forgot about the settlement, Machu Picchu only become known to the world in 1911, when it was introduced by a historian from the US by the name of Hiram Bingham. He wrote a bestselling book about the famous settlement, entitled “The Lost City of Incas.” Today the sight is one o the most famous placed of the Incan Empire, due to its unique location. Since 1983 the settlement is under the protection of the UNESCO world heritage. The masses of tourists who visit it daily are raising concern about the damage caused by the tourist industry. The nearby town of Aquas Calientes, which is the main gateway for Machu Picchu, is among the most expensive places in Peru. It’s obvious they developed alongside tourist industry.

The city was presumably built by Inca ruler Pachacuti around 1440 and it remained inhabited until 1532. It was then that the local inhabitants are thought to move to the rain forest in order to protect themselves against the Spaniards, who’ve attacked Peru. The people of Machu Picchu, it is believed, were afraid to be discovered by the conquistadores, which was the main reason for abandoning the city. Thanks to the unique location of the city, the conquering army never found it. Archeological evidence show Machu Picchu was no typical city. It was a more rural city with a large courtyard in the middle. Around the courtyards is the big palace, temples for Inca worship and other buildings. Today these are only ruins, but due to their preserved state we can speculate with quite some accuracy how the city would have looked like. Expert estimates there could have been around 750 people populating Machu Picchu, which the Inca built from rocks, gained from shaped raw bedrock. The architectural style was classical for Inca architecture; hence we see smooth walls of geometrical shapes fitted so tightly you cannot wedge a knife’s edge between them. Many visitors look at these rocks with awe and wonder, how they were moved around. It is believed that hundreds of workers pushed the rocks along the hillside. There are no written records about the construction, for as unusual as it seems, the Inca never developed writing. The settlement is made of 140 buildings, which served as temples, parks and habitation quarters. We also see over 100 stone terraces, which were used for food production and planting various seeds.

The mountain carrying the same name is rising above the settlement and continues into  ridge for which they say represents a face of an Inca. Seeing the peak you would probably want to get high on it, if nothing else, for the sheer beauty of the view that should open from there. But like so many other things in Peruvian tourism you need to pay for it. Before reaching the ancient city I never knew about this peak, for, unlike Wayna Picchu, it is not mentioned. I didn’t even imagine there is another peak there you can visit. Mount Machu Picchu is more difficult and locals say it can take up to two hours from the old settlement to reach. Naturally everything is secured both with fences and security so nobody, who didn’t pay, can get pass them. They didn’t let me through either, even though I was prepared to pay, but I’d have to go down the mountain to but the pass. I simply didn’t have the time for that, because I’d have to go on top in the morning for the afternoon was reserved for people coming down. My thirst to reach the top didn’t quench, but all I could do was to walk to another part of the ridge with some other remints of the Inca culture. Thinking about their culture with the view of the famous ruins and the thought about another part of the settlement probably being on top of the mountain, I got an idea Incas had to have a path to the top along the ridge. I didn’t dillydally around but went through the thick vegetation and found the remains of the path. Happy about my find I went along the ridge of the Inca face with even more determination to get to the top, because I found the way myself, by observing the logic of the ruins at the sight. Expecting the path to be very old I have anticipated the path to be uncomfortable – and it was. It’s a typical ridge like in any mountains – with steep falls on both sides, but it had more vegetation. Every now and again the path completely disappeared and was visible only on more open rocky parts where it wasn’t covered by plants. It was a real nightmare making my way through difficult passes. Every time I negotiated a hard part I was glad it was over and I didn’t dare to think of returning this way. The most dangerous part were crevices covered by plants, where I got hung up a few times. Adrenalin and fear were my companions. Apart from crevices I also had to tangle with free climbing, spiky plants and wild animals, which luckily I didn’t see at the time. The treacherous climb ended with me reaching the regular path just under the top, full of dirt, bruises and scratches and joined the tourists who paid to get up here. When I appeared in front of them from the wilderness they couldn’t explain what happened to me and I became quite an attraction. Yet, I’ve reached my goal – the peak – and all the hardship was paid off by an excellent view of the city of Machu Picchu and many other peaks around us. On the way down I chose the regular path. 

 

Rows of roofless houses, grassy terraces where llamas grazed alongside alpacas and in the background the iconic landmark of a mountain, wild river rapids in the valley and the sound of a traditional train all surrounded by many steep and green mountains covered with snow at their tops… these is a scene of beauty you cannot transcribe into words. And then there’s the unique city, with many untold stories and riddles left to the future visitors and scholars.