Our day started with a pickup from our hotel of around 30 cyclists. We first headed to the town of Pisaq and visited the local markets. Got to see the local children all dressed up singing and dancing through the markets which was pretty cool. And I bought another T-shirt.
After the markets we visited the Sacred Valley which was a stunning valley with a river flowing down the centre. The river was very important to the Inca's and they viewed it as a Holy river of great significance, now it's very important to the agricultural region that this area is now famous for.
Ollantaytambo is an attractive little town located at the western end of the Sacred Valley (about two and a half hours by bus from Cusco). The town has been built on top of original Inca foundations and is the best surviving example of Inca town planning. The town is divided in canchas (blocks) which are almost entirely intact. Each cancha has only one entrance (usually a huge stone doorway) which leads into a central courtyard. The houses surround the courtyard. Good examples of this construction can be found behind the main plaza.
The town is located at the foot of some spectacular Inca ruins (entrance with the Tourist Ticket 'Boleto Turistico') which protected the strategic entrance to the lower Urubamba Valley. The temple area is at the top of steep terracing which helped to provide excellent defences. Stone used for these buildings was brought from a quarry high up on the opposite side of the Urubamba river - an incredible feat involving the efforts of thousands of workers. The complex was still under construction at the time of the conquest and was never completed.
After Manco Inca was defeated by the Spanish at Sacsayhuaman following the unsuccessful siege of Cusco (1536) he retreated to Ollantaytambo. Francisco Pizarro's younger brother Hernando led a force of 70 cavalry, 30 foot soldiers and a large contingent of natives to capture Manco Inca. The Inca's forces, joined by neighbouring jungle tribes, rained down showers of arrows, spears and rocks upon the unfortunate Spanish troops. In an intelligent move the Inca's flooded the plains below their stronghold making it difficult for the horses to manoeuvre. Hernando, uncharacteristically, ordered a hasty retreat.
Ollantaytambo became the only place ever to have resisted attacks from the Spanish.
However, their victory was short-lived when the Spanish returned with four times their previous force. Manco Inca retreated to his jungle stronghold in Vilcabamba and Ollantaytambo fell into the hands of the Spanish.
It was now time to get back on the bus and go down to the train station in Ollantaytambo and head to Machu Picchu. Our train leaves at 3.30 pm and should get into Machu Picchu around 5.15 pm. The trip takes you around winding cliffs following the river all the way to our final destination. The only disappointment was the rain that prevented getting some decent photos, but it doesn't matter,. We walked up the road to our hotel, made a mess of the room like all boys do and headed for dinner. We were told at the riding meeting that we would have to be up by 4.45 am to get ready to catch the 5.30 am bus up the mountain. This is going to be a long day.
I'm going to give you a brief overview of Machu Picchu before I go on.
Machu Picchu Guide - History
THE INCA EMPIRE
In the relatively short space of a hundred years, the Incas went from a little-known highland tribe to the greatest empire ever seen in the Americas. They came to prominence late, in the 15th century, but through diplomacy and warfare succeeded in dominating a territory of some 10 million Quechua speakers, rivalling the Romans in terms of scale and organisation. Known as the Land of the Four Quarters, or Tahuantinsuyu, the Inca empire extended more than 3000 miles from north to south, from Ecuador down to modern-day Bolivia and Chile. At its heart sat Cusco, el ombligo del mundo - the navel of the world.
The formidable Inca ruler Pachacuteq, the “Alexander the Great” of the Andes, was a major driving force behind the expansion which began in around 1438 after his victory against the invading Chanca tribe. For strategic reasons, the region around Cusco was the first to be inhabited and it’s possible that Machu Picchu was conceived as a ceremonial and administrative centre.
Built and populated by Pachacuteq’s royal lineage, or panaca, it’s also possible that the complex was designed to be a winter palace, a retreat from the harsh Cusco winters. The architecture dates from the late imperial Inca period and there are no traces of either pre-Inca settlements or post-Conquest occupation. Much of Machu Picchu’s history remains a riddle but it’s highly likely that the whole site was built and then abandoned in less than 100 years.
It’s estimated that there would have been a permanent population of around a thousand people living among 200 dwellings. Terraces were cultivated to grow maize, probably to brew chicha to use for ceremonial purposes, as well as other crops which have since died out. For many archaeologists, Machu Picchu was the headquarters of a region whose chief function was to provide a supply of coca leaves for priests and the royal family to chew to counteract altitude, sickness and hunger. For others, it was an impregnable watchtower that guarded a number of Inca roads in the area. One thing seems certain however: that the exceptional quality of the stonework makes it a place of great religious significance, a place to venerate the sun and other deities such as Pachamama or mother earth.
THE SPANISH CONQUEST
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| Francisco Pizarro and Atahuallpa, the last Inca emperor, in 1532, drawing by Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala, c. 1600. |
Common consensus has it that Machu Picchu was abandoned in an orderly fashion, maybe even before the Spanish arrived. This would explain why Hiram Bingham didn’t find any precious artefacts there. The Incas had undergone a dreadful civil war of their own just prior to the Spanish invasion which could have spurred Machu Picchu’s inhabitants on to move elsewhere. Or it could have been the case that the expensive running costs of such a centre were becoming a drain on Cusco’s resources at a time of war.
As well as a lust to conquer, the Spanish brought with them European illnesses like smallpox and measles, previously unknown in the Americas. The result was catastrophic. The Incas had no immunity and by the end of the 16th century, disease had reduced their numbers from ten million to less than a million. One theory is that infection may have reached Machu Picchu, thereby decimating its population.
Whatever happened, once abandoned, this great wonder of the world lay forgotten for nearly four centuries. Why the Spanish – who had no qualms in pillaging other Inca sites - never paid Machu Picchu any attention is a conundrum that continues to tease historians to this day. The Incas picked their location well.
HIRAM BINGHAM
The inspiration for Indiana Jones, Hiram Bingham was an American historian who had been bewitched by tales of lost Inca cities ever since visiting the pre-Hispanic ruin of Choquequirao, also in the vicinity of Cusco. When he came across Machu Picchu, he was actually searching for the last Inca capital, Manco Inca’s final stronghold, and initially stated erroneously that Machu Picchu was in fact Vilcambama, that most lost of lost Inca cities.
On 24 July 1911, after having been told about the ruins by local resident Melchor Arteaga, Bingham made the tough climb up the Urubamba canyon. It was no easy hike and, exhausted, he reached a small hut where two men, Richarte and Alvarez, had been living for four years to escape the army and having to pay taxes. Hot and tired, he was disinclined to continue but the two men encouraged him to take a look at the vine-covered complex.
After just a few hours there taking notes and photographs, he left but returned the following year with the Yale Expedition, having taken the decision to spend several months clearing the overgrown site. This excavation, together with a later one in 1915, led to the discovery of several other notable buildings and an important Inca highway, the Inca Trail. Bingham ultimately went on to become a US senator.
Now you have the history.
As soon as you enter Machu Picchu you are breathless at the grandeur of this amazing site nestled high in the Andean Mountains. I know my photos do not do the site justice but I'll give you a brief note on each. A group of us headed straight for the climb of Huayna Picchu which is the largest mountain that you can see behind Machu Picchu. There is a narrow winding path leading to the top where you can find some interesting Inca ruins. There are stunning views over Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains and the Vilcanota River below. I walked up with Carmen and it took us on 1 hour. It was a energy zapping climb up so many steps, but the look down on Machu Picchu was very rewarding. I sat up there for about an hour with the group and Michelle. We had to leave at 9 am to get back down so the next group could make the climb. I will never forget the view for the rest of my life, sitting up there, no noise, people just staring in amazement at what lays below.
Standing on the side of Huayna Picchu with a huge drop right behind me. And that is not a walking stick, it's my Gopro camera tripod.
After our climb of the mountain we had to be back down to meet our guide who took us around the complex for a 2 hour guided tour. We were told the history of the ruins, the rulers, the workers, construction techniques to ensure the complex stayed upright during earthquakes. The site also had Drs, ladies of pleasure, astrologers, carvers, the site had everything.
By the end of the guided tour we were all ready to take the bus back down the mountain to the hotel. We still had about 3 hours to kill before the train trip back to Ollantaytambo. 3 of us went to check out the hot spring pools of aguas calientes. I didn't go for a swim because it just didn't look healthy to me. Patrick, Joost, Kristen and Hilde went in said it was fine, I stayed out and looked after the bags.
Our day still had a long way to go, we had some dinner, caught the train, caught the bus back to Cusco and hit the sack at 11.30 pm. We were all tired and ready for a good night's sleep.
I had a fantastic action packed 2 days and would recommend to everyone to visit Machu Picchu on their next adventure to South America. Tomorrow is our final rest day which starts with 2 bush camps. I actually like living in Tent Hilton.
Today will be taking it easy, putting my slick tyres on the bike, eating, getting a hair cut and maybe some shopping.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
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