Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu (pronounced Machu Picktchu) means old mountain. The ruins here are for the most part as they were when Hirum Bingham cleared them of rain forest in the early 1900's. Many ancient ruins were reconstructed to some extent, but these were not. Except for long decayed roof poles and thatched rooves, the high quality stonework is in excellent condition, as it was when abandoned and overgrown by rainforest.

Extremely remote and invisible from the narrow valley floor 3000' below, it is believed to have been a hiding place for the Inca elite during times of war. Fertile topsoil from the Sacred Valley was carried up the mountain to fill the garden terraces. Many of the crops grown in Peru today were grown here in these terraces long ago, to make life in Machu Picchu sustainable during periods when crops were raided down below.

The earliest stone work was built in the megalithic period, many thousands of years before the arrival of the Inca, who expanded the site to what it is now. The megalithic construction is believed to be more of a spiritual nature, when population was sparse, and war wasn't as likely. However in the days of the Inca people, the Sacred Valley and surrounding mountains were well populated.

The peoples who constructed the Megalithic stone masonry here and all around the world are an even bigger mystery than the Inca. Almost nothing is known about them, except the fact that they lived many thousands of years before the Inca, and their knowledge of stone cutting and placement is unsurpassed even to this day. We can not duplicate it.

This leads one to suspect a more advanced civilization may have lived thousands of years before us, that man's understanding of his small window in time, his cultural methods and philosophy of priorities are in need of study, in light of the fact that these peoples have all vanished.

This will be the 1st of many images of Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes I hope to publish here. If you are thinking of visiting Machu Picchu, spend the night in Aguas Calientes, and take the early shuttle bus up the mountain to beat the crowd. Be sure to book train tickets from Ollantaytambo (the end of the road) to Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes) well in advance , as they at times are sold out. Shuttle bus tickets may be purchased the evening before in Aguas Calientes.

Images of Machu Picchu (Huayna Picchu Mountain) in the early morning . West / Left facade, then East / right facade from entrance gate of sanctuary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu