The End of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

When we gathered for breakfast at 3:30 a.m., our cook was putting the finishing touches on a cake!

Our cook's final presentation

Presumably, he had baked it the day before, but even so, I wouldn’t have been inclined to whip up frosting and decorate a cake at 3:30 in the morning. Along with the cake, we had tea and rolls.

We left camp by 4 and were the first in line at 4:20 a.m., but a group of 6 Danes were hot on our heels. By the time the sanctuary entrance opened at 5:30 a.m., the line stretched way back, and it was still dark. Each guide had to check his party in with the steward, who carefully examined all the paperwork.

Entrance Gate near Winay Wayna

Once inside the gate, Yvette and Andrew took off even though they only had one headlamp between them. In the dark with a steep drop-off on one side, I took my time on the uneven steps. Most people passed me, but there was no way I could safely go faster, even with a headlamp. Besides, I knew I would still arrive at the Sun Gate (Intipunku) before the sun, so why rush. Ah, the benefits of many years of experience!

After an hour’s walk, as we neared Intipunku, Machu Picchu finally came into view.

My Initial View of Machu Picchu

It was from this point that one got the best perspective of the old city and the new road used by all the bus riders to get to it.

The road to Machu Picchu

The Intipunku itself was singularly unexciting in the twilight.

Intipunku

The following view of the trail down from Intipunku to Machu Picchu was taken much later in the morning.

Intipunku and the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

It was about 7:15 when I made my final descent to Machu Picchu. Pachacuti’s royal retreat was still in the shadows.

The Final Descent to Machu Picchu

A herd of llamas keeps the grass cut.

: Llama lawn mowers

Pachacuti began building his royal retreat at Machu Picchu around 1450, and after his death it was maintained for him by his panaca. When the Spanish arrived, the current Inca Atahualpa probably knew of the site, but it wasn’t his property, and he probably had never been there. After his execution, with the city of Cusco under siege, what was left of Pachacuti’s panaca probably had no means to maintain the site, and, by 1572, it was totally abandoned by whoever had been living there. The Spanish never found it, so it remained undisturbed until Hiram Bingham paid attention to some farmers who talked about some ruins on a nearby mountain and “discovered” it in 1911.

Machu Picchu at first light

The site, a ridge between Huayna Picchu on the left and Machu Picchu, out of the picture to the right, had to have been extensively modified to enable construction of the estate. Not only was the ridgetop levelled, but terraces were cut and filled down the slopes of the mountain.

: Agricultural terraces at Machu Picchu

When entering the site via the Inca Trail, one enters via the agricultural sector. The gatehouse is the thatch-roofed structure towards the upper left. Was this the junkyard for unwanted boulders or was there a reason why this area was not cleaned up and terraced?

Agricultural Sector

The estate, which probably had a resident population of between 300 and 1,000 people, consisted of two urban sectors. The Western or Upper Sector included the Temple of the Sun, the Intiwatana, the unfinished Sacred Plaza, and the royal residence. The Eastern or Lower Sector included the Sacred Rock, an unfinished temple, and the Temple of the Condor.

: The Western Sector in the foreground; the Eastern to the rear

In the following photo, the Sun Temple is the circular building below me to the right and the Initiwatana is just above my head.

Machu Picchu

In the following view, one gets a better a better perspective on the Eastern Sector.

: The Eastern Sector

A view of the Western Sector from more level ground

: The Western Sector

but it’s hard to get a good grasp of the relative sizes and elevations of the various components of the Western Sector.

The Sun Temple and Intiwatana

Here, a group of tourists waits to visit the Sun Temple. The Royal Residence is to its right.

Sun Temple and Royal Residence

The people were waiting to view the so-called Royal Tomb, which wasn’t a tomb–at least not for Pachacuti. Note the beautifully carved “steps,” which are not steps. For a 360 degree view of the tomb, visit Inside the Royal Tomb.

Entrance to Royal Tomb

A close-up of the stone work

Stonework inside Royal Tomb

The window on the north side of the Sun Temple

North Window of Sun Temple at Machu Picchu

At sunrise on the summer solstice, the sun’s rays align perfectly with the east window so that they match the trough carved into the natural rock dedicated to Inti, the Sun God.

Inside the Sun Temple, facing East

A view of the Sun Temple from below

Sun Temple

The building referred to as the Principal Temple in the guidebooks lies between the Sun Temple and the Intiwatana. The east wall settled during Inca times; a rare instance of miscalculation by Inca engineers.

The East Wall of the Principal Temple settled during Inca times

The Intiwatana pyramid was carved from the peak itself.

Intiwatana Pyramid

The Intiwatana Stone was, according to anthropologist Johan Reinhart via Ruth Wright, associated with mountain worship, but it was not a sundial like many claim.

A sculptural representation of Huayna Picchu?

In the Temple of the Condor in the Eastern Sector the Inca artisans used a combination of natural rock features, stonework, and carvings.

Temple of the Condor

A Condor Wing?

Condor Rock

Unfortunately, our visit had to come to an end. Andrew and Yvette gave their tickets for Huayna Picchu to an American teenager and his dad; Yvette has sprained her ankle on the sprint in the early morning darkness. We all met for pizza at a small cafe by the railroad tracks in Aguas Calientes, and then said our goodbyes at the train station. They returned to Cusco, while I spent the afternoon investigating the shops and visiting an internet cafe.

Andrew and Yvette were heading off to Bolivia; my next stop was the Peruvian jungle.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 8:49 pm and is filed under Journal Summer 2009, Peru. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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