Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Machu Picchu - Ancient Peru
Machu Picchu - Ancient Peru
Machu Picchu - Ancient Peru
Wonders of the
Empire
Inquiries
Inka's Empire Tours
About Our Tours
Our Hotels
Peru Tours
Titikaka
(12 days/11 nights)
Imperial US$ 4,585 De Luxe US$ 4,240 First Class US$ 3,605
The land price includes escorted transfers, private excursions
with professional guides, entrance fees, indicated category of
accommodations, specified meals, all transportation except air
flights, and medical and travel insurance through age 59. Over
that age, there is a supplementary fee. All prices are per person
based on two people sharing a guest room.
Ancient Civilizations
of Peru & Bolivia
Colca Canyon - Machu
Picchu
Lake Titikaka
(16 days/15 nights)
Archaeological &
Ecological
Treasures
Lake Titikaka (or
Amazon)
From its roots in southern Peru to its glory in the imperial city of
Machu Picchu
(9 days/8 nights)
What Luxury Link has to say about Legacy of the Incas.
Machu Picchu
(10 days/9 nights)
Amazon Bio-Trip
Manu National Park
(8 days/7 nights)
Ecuador Tours
Enchanted Isles of
the Galapagos
Galapagos
(11 days/10 nights)
Galapagos - Andes
(15 days/14 nights)
Chile Tours
Hotel Explora
Atacama Desert Torres del Paine
the pride of the capital, and the wonder of the empire, was at
Cuzco,
where, under the munificence of successive sovereigns,
it had become so enriched, that it received the name of
Coricancha,
or "the Place of Gold."
The Grandeur of
Chile
Altiplano - Atacama
Desert
Lake District - Torres
Saturday, Day 2: Lima - Cuzco
del Paine
Easter Island - Central
Breakfast. Early transfer to the airport for the flight to Cuzco, the
Valley
capital of the ancient Inca Empire, called Tawantinsuyo, the
(21 days/20 nights)
"Four Quarters of the Empire". The name of Cuzco is a Spanish
version of the native word Q'osqo, which means the "Navel of the
Universe". Arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel. Morning
walking tour of the imperial city of the Incas to the ancient
Caribbean Tours
monuments of Qorikancha, the temple of the Sun; the fine Inca
walls of Calle Loreto, once again bearing its original Quechua
name of Inti Q'ijllo; the Ajlla Wasi, the House of the Virgins of
the Sun; the Stone of Twelve Angles; and the Huacaypata
(Leisure Square), more commonly referred to by its Spanish
name of the Plaza de Armas. All of these structures date from the
era of 1440 A.D., when Inca Pachakuteq, desiring a capital
befitting his great empire, pulled down the adobe city and rebuilt
Cuzco in stone.
Spanish Virgin
Islands
Vieques - Culebra Puerto Rico
(9 days/8 nights)
In the time of the Incas, this garden... was entirely made of gold
and silver; and there were similar gardens about all the royal
mansions. Here could be seen all sorts of plants, flowers, trees,
animals, both small and large, wild and tame, tiny, crawling
creatures such as snakes, lizards, and snails, as well as butterflies
and birds of every size; each one of these marvels being placed at
the spot that best suited the nature of what it represented.
There were a tall corn stalk and another stalk from the grain they
call quinoa, as well as other vegetables and fruit trees, the fruits
of which were all very faithfully reproduced in gold and silver.
There were also, in the house of the Sun, as well as in that of the
king, piles of wool made of gold and silver, and large statues of
men, women, and children made of the same materials, in
addition to storerooms and recipients for storing the grain they
called pirua, all of which, together, tended to lend greater
splendor and majesty to the house of their god the Sun.
All of these valuable works were made by the goldsmiths
attached to the Temple, from the tribute of gold and silver that
arrived every year from all the provinces of the Empire, and
which was so great that the most modest utensils used in the
temple, such as pots and pans, or pitchers, were also made of
precious metals. For this reason, the temple and its service
quarters were called Coricancha, which means the place of gold.
-- Garcilaso de la Vega, The Royal Commentaries of the Inca,
1609
Cathedral of Cuzco.
Photo: Jorge Sarmiento, PromPeru.
Before the Spanish conquest, the main square was twice its
current size. The part occupied by the present-day Plaza de
Armas was called Haucaypata and was surrounded by Inca
palaces, sculpted of finely-crafted stone blocks. On the southwest
side of the plaza flowed the river Huatanay. On the far bank was
the market square of Cusipata, now occupied by the arcade of
buildings known as the Portal de Panes. The only remaining
Saqsaywaman.
Photo: Walter Trumpfheller.
Afternoon drive with private car and guide to the fortress and
temple of Saqsaywaman. To truly appreciate Saqsaywaman, one
must realize that what may now be seen is only the base of a
colossal construction of a series of three, successively higher,
defensive structures made from enormous blocks of stone, joined
together with great precision.
Tambomachay.
Photo: Rony Caballero.
stalks and gold ears, on which the leaves, grains, and even the
corn silk were shown.
In addition to all this, there were all kinds of gold and silver
animals in these gardens, such as rabbits, mice, lizards, snakes,
butterflies, foxes, and wildcats (there being no domestic cats).
Then there were birds set in the trees, as though they were about
to sing, and others bent over the flowers, breathing in their nectar.
There were roe deer and deer, lions and tigers, all the animals in
creation, in fact, each placed just where it should be.
-- Garcilaso de la Vega, The Royal Commentaries of the Inca,
1609
Sacred Valley.
Photo: Alejandro Balanguer, Biosfera.
But the favorite residence of the Incas was at Yucay, about four
leagues distant from the capital. In this delicious valley, locked up
within the friendly arms of the sierra, which sheltered it from the
rude breezes of the east, and refreshed by gushing fountains and
streams of running water, they built the most beautiful of their
palaces. Here, when wearied with the dust and toil of the city,
they loved to retreat, and solace themselves with the society of
their favorite concubines, wandering amidst groves and airy
gardens, that shed around their soft, intoxicating odors, and lulled
the senses to voluptuous repose. Here, too, they loved to indulge
in the luxury of their baths, replenished by streams of crystal
water which were conducted through subterraneous silver
channels into basins of gold. The spacious gardens were stocked
with numerous varieties of plants and flowers that grew without
effort in this temperate region of the tropics, while parterres of a
more extraordinary kind were planted by their side, glowing with
the various forms of vegetable life skilfully imitated in gold and
silver! Among them the Indian corn, the most beautiful of
American grains, is particularly commemorated, and the curious
workmanship is noticed with which the golden ear was half
disclosed amidst the broad leaves of silver, and the light tassel of
the same material that floated gracefully from its top.
-- William H. Prescott, The History of the Conquest of Peru, 1847
Ollantaytambo.
Photo: Walter Wust, Terra Incognita.
Weaver, Chinchero.
Photo: PromPeru Archive.
did not exist in ancient times. The market, noted for its textiles,
takes place every Sunday in the main square, located at the foot
of an Inca wall. Such traditions are not unique to Chinchero,
however. They still exist throughout the altiplano of Peru. The
pueblo exhibits a peculiar Andean-Hispanic architectural style
and paintings by the famous native artist Chiwantito, in the
Cuzquea style, dating back to the early Spanish period, hang in a
beautiful colonial church. Lunch of typical cuisine in the patio of
a country restaurant.
Pisaq.
Photo: Yutaka Yoshii.
... the worship of the Sun constituted the peculiar care of the
Incas,
and was the object of their lavish expenditure.
The most ancient of the many temples dedicated to this divinity
was in the Island of Titicaca,
whence the royal founders of the Peruvian line
were said to have proceeded.
reserved.
Machu Picchu
A fortress city of the ancient Incas, in a high saddle between two peaks circa 50 miles
(80 km) NW of Cuzco, Peru. The extraordinary pre-Columbian ruin, 5 sq. Miles (18
sq. Km.) of terraced stonework link by 3,000 steps; it was virtually intact when
discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
Machupijchu
prologue
"After almost four hours by train, on one of the most impressive and spectacular
stretches in the world, from high, cold early morning plains down to lush vegetation
in the frequently suffocating late morning heat, one arrives at the foot of the mountain
Machupijchu. Then the eight kilometer road of thirteen zigzag hairpins in an acrobatic
bus takes us up the mountain, and one arrives at the hotel. From here, it is only a few
steps and the city opens itself. ..."
"To visit Machupijchu, you must prepare the soul, sharpen the senses. Forget for
some minutes, the small and transcendental problems of our lives, of modern...
man..."
Napoleon Polo
Casilla 435 Cuzco Peru
a spiritual Machupijchu
(Please continue!)
- 1 - 2- 3- 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12-
"...sacred."
"Be advised that I, being free, do not have to pay tribute to anyone, nor do
I believe there is a king greater than I. ..."
Inca Art
"Moreover, despite..."
"The Christ..."
"The Christ that you speak of died, the Sun and Moon
never die, besides how do you know your god created the world?"
(This quotation is from Inca Atahuallpa's answer
to Fray Wicente Valverde, taken from Spanish
documents of the Indians Archives in Seville.
M.37. I show with no comment!)
Hiram Bingham
Waynapijchu
The Young Peak
These pictures show artifacts used in ceremonial sacrifices of some pre Inca
cultures in the Peruvian Coastal Region. They can be attributed to the
Mochica-Chimu cultures, and they are not exactly Inca.
"FERTILITY"
A knife called TUMI, is an instrument for sacrifices. The lower part of the
piece has a kind of very sharp round knife. In Latin America, to hung a
TUMI on a wall means good luck and has become a symbol used in the
Peruvian Tourism publicity
The keshwa chaca nearly a year old and badly deteriorated; note how much the bridge
sags. (1998, shortly before the rebuilding festival.)
The newly rebuilt suspension bridge. (June 1999)
Crossing the Ro Apurimac on a bridge of straw. (June, 1999)
The scene is quite different in the rainy season when the Ro Apurimac is in full flow.
(Mar. 2001)
It takes a brave soul to cross the keshwa chaca when it has weathered for nine months
and the river is raging below. (Mar. 2001)
But Don is either brave or nuts!. (Mar. 2001)
Villagers from Perccaro show off their fiesta traje at the bridge. (Mar. 2001)
We met the chaca camayoc (master bridge builder), a native of Hunichiri, and gave
him a copy of the Dec. '73 National Geographic in which he found a photo of his
father, the chaca camayoc before him. (Mar. 2001)
The following photos were taken June 7-8, 2003 during the rebuilding of the
keshwa chaca and the indigenous festival celebrating the renewal of the bridge,
rebuilt annually by the comunitarios to honor their ancestors and Pachamama.
Saturday, the third day in the three-day rebuilding of the keshwa chaca, the main
cables are up, and the bridge is well on its way to completion. The main cables were
raised on Friday. Note last year's bridge, which has been cut and dropped into the Ro
Apurimac 60 feet below.
Quechua women from the nearby communities sit and chat as they braid ropes of
grass to be strung from the hand rails to the floor of the bridge. Earlier in the week
they braided huge quantities of similar thin ropes, which the men then twisted and
braided together to make the big cables that support the bridge.
On Thursday the main supporting cables were fabricated by the men. The next day,
these cables were strung across the river, raised, wound about the heavy stone sleepers
in the walled bridge platforms on each side of the canyon, and carefully adjusted to
hang evenly. Note in the photo that the left-hand and right-hand handrail cables (the
higher cables) are of distinctly uneven size, reflecting the different quality work done
by different communities.
Once the floor cables and handrail cables are completely ready, the next job is to tie
lightweight rope stringers from the two handrails to the four load-bearing cables,
making a unit of the structure, and creating sidewalls that make it possible to cross the
bridge without danger of falling off.
However, more than rope stringers are necessary for the bridge to hold its form when
being crossed. Inch-thick sticks are lashed with rawhide strips to the four floor cables,
forming rigid cross-ties that insure that the cables maintain their spread and cannot
become entangled.
A controversy arose late Saturday afternoon as to whether or not the mayor of
Quehue, one of the communities involved in the bridge rebuilding, had fulfilled his
promises of support for the project. This resulted in a work stoppage and an emotional
gathering was held on the road above the bridge site. After considerable palaver, work
was resumed and the bridge finished on schedule.
The final stage in the reconstruction of the bridge is to lay flooring mats over the four
main cables. While the sidewalls are being strung together, others are busy making
these mats of brush for the bridge floor.
The edges of the flooring, bushy when first tied together, must be trimmed. Note the
use of a footplow blade to trim the irregular edges of the flooring mats.
Carrying a rolled segment of floor mat onto the suspension bridge.
Once construction is completed, the bridge is dedicated. All throughout the
construction the process has been protected by several shamans performing
appropriate ceremonies nearby one of the bridgeheads, and now formal speeches are
made by local officials, and, in 2003, by a distinguished guest, the Director of the
Instituto Nacional de Cultura. The Director tosses ceremonial liquor at the conclusion
of his speech. Afterwards he was given the honor of being the first to cross the
renewed keshwa chaca.
Shortly after the Director of the INC and his entourage crossed the bridge, this
Quechua man in full traje crossed.
The finished bridge was then opened to all spectators and visitors, who were charged
a toll of one sol for the privilege of crossing! Note how little sag there is in the
renewed bridge, as compared to the year-old bridge in the photo at the beginning of
the webpage.
View of the Rutahsa Adventures group campsite, below the site of the keshwa chaca
festival. Ours was the only group of foreigners present at the bridge rebuilding and
festival.
A camping experience you'll only get in the Andes: a local shepherdess brings her
cows, sheep and llamas through our camp!
Rutahsa Adventures groups always bring school supplies, toothbrushes and
toothpaste, and children's clothing as a "mini-aid program" for the village children. In
this case, since there were four communities involved in the rebuilding of the keshwa
chaca, we sorted and divided the supplies into four parts, and filled up four duffel
bags the night before the bridge festival.
Sunday morning comes, tents are erected and crowds gather, marking the beginning of
the Festival of the Keshwa Chaca.
Many native dance groups perform at the festival. Apparently the dance groups are
judged and winners go on to dance at bigger festival competitions, and ultimately
perform in the Inti Raymi festival in Cusco.
During a break in the dance performances, the duffels of school supplies and
children's clothing donated by the Rutahsa Adventures group were presented to
officials of the four communities responsible for rebuilding the bridge. Our driver,
Eusebio, made the presentations inasmuch as he is a native Quechua speaker and
could express more eloquently than we could our gratitude to these Quechua people
for preserving their traditions and continuing to rebuild the keshwa chaca.
And more dance performances and celebration continued on into the afternoon, to the
delight of an audience spread over the hillside above the main festival area.
The remains of a more famous Inka bridge over the Apurimac are found well
downstream from today's bridge at Huinchiri. The most famous of all the Inka
bridges, that on the Inka highway between Cusco and Lima, crossed the Apurimac
near the bottom of a stupendous gorge many hundreds of meters deep. The bridge was
a key point for the Inka armies and for the invading Spanish Conquistadores as well.
After the Conquest this bridge remained in service for about four and a half centuries,
being renewed annually or biannually, until the it was replaced by a wire rope
suspension bridge at a different location. The famous Inka bridge, disused and
neglected, collapsed sometime in the 1890s. It was the collapse of this famous bridge
that inspired Thornton Wilder's 1927 novela "The Bridge of San Luis Rey".
American archeologist/diplomat/explorer E. George Squier crossed this bridge in the
1860s, and left us a beautiful, if hair-raising, description of the approach and crossing
in his wonderful book "Incidents of Travel and Exploration in the Land of the Incas"
(1877), now a sought-after classic.
Today not only is the bridge long gone, but the Inka road and bridge abutments are
difficult to locate. In the early 1950s, Victor Von Hagen found the bridge site
unreachable from the Cusco side, landslides having destroyed major sections of the
Inka road on that side. However the bridge site can still be approached from the
southwest side (Lima side) of the Ro Apurimac canyon by turning off highway 3S
onto the gravel road that descends to the Cconoc hot springs spa. The old bridge site
lies just three kilometers downstream from Cconoc, but is quite difficult to find
without a local guide.
The remains of the old Inka road, once located, can be followed down to a series of
short tunnels, perhaps better described as a single tunnel with windows and skylights.
This tunnel is believed to have been driven by the Inkas, as there is no known trail
around the tunnel site. However it has been enlarged in post-Inka times as
demonstrated by blasted drill holes here and there in the tunnel walls. Likely it had to
be enlarged in colonial times for the passage of horses and mules, which the Inka did
not possess. Squier described his passage trhough the tunnel in the 1860s.
From the trail just below the lower end of the tunnel, a view can be had safely of the
remains of the badly overgrown Inka road as it descends steeply down before turning
the corner to the bridgehead. Unfortunately, a landslide has carried away the road just
beyond the this point, and further descent is not for the faint-hearted. In fact, it is
distinctly unsafe as the unstable scree tends to want to move and carry anyone
attempting a traverse right on off the cliff into the river below. [Traverse photo
courtesy of Judd Lundt.] However, if the slide area is crossed a better view can be had
of the stonework supporting the Inka roadway clinging to the canyon walls.
Beyond the slide, the old road continues down into the pongo, i.e., the narrow inner
gorge, to the point where the bridge hung for so many centuries. On the Cusco side
the bridgehead surmounted a natural rock projection referred to as the estribo (stirrup)
by the Spaniards. From the bridgehead on the Lima wall of the canyon, one can look
straight across to the remains of the Cusco bridgehead. Apparently just a few loose
grey stones lying on the estribo (upper center of this photo) are all that is left of the
bridgehead platform.
From the historic bridgehead the view of the inner gorge is stirring; one can only
imagine (or read Squier's thrilling account) what it must have been like to cross this
greatest