Il 9-10
aprile, 2014
Machu
Picchu
It was a
short bus ride to the Ollantaytambo train station and then a 90
minute journey to Machu Picchu, the crowning glory of the Inca
civilization. Known for its inventive genius, artistic ability,
unparalleled knowledge of agriculture, pottery, and the weaving of
textiles, the people were governed firmly and justly by its leaders
under a benevolent despotism where no one was allowed to go hungry.
Without a written language or even a system of hieroglyphics left
behind, scholars have had to piece together a history of this
fascinating culture based on ruins and artifacts, second hand
narratives and found documents. Hiram Bingham, in his book, Lost
City Of The Incas, writes of his search leading to the 1911
discovery,
“There is a
fascination of finding here and there under swaying vines, or perched
on top of a beetling crag, the rugged masonry of a bygone race; and
of trying to understand the bewildering romance of the ancient
builders who, ages ago, sought refuge in a region which appears to
have been expressly designed by nature as a sanctuary for the
oppressed, a place where they might fearlessly and patiently give
expression to their passions for walls of enduring beauty.”
Nestled
among the Andes Mountains and high on the hillside way above the
Urubamba River, Machu Picchu was built in this faraway spot to make
it difficult for an invading attack. Flanked by a stupendous granite
canyon on a narrow ridge surrounded by utterly tremendous precipices,
this sanctuary for the worship of the sun was well-protected and,
thus, lost for centuries; the ridge being “in the most inaccessible
corner of the most inaccessible section of the central Andes.”
The
stones used to create the walls can weigh several tons and fit into
place without the use of mortar; it's simply stone upon stone. I
found a graceful, elegant simplicity in Machu Picchu, although the
remarkable architecture is clear testimony to the Inca's ability to
create a sheer marvel of engineering. We toured the ruins on the
afternoon of our arrival, but, even more meaningful for me, was the next day's early morning hike on part of the old Inca
Trail with a small group of my new friends. The altitude and the
Andes created a cloud forest and even though the ruins were not
visible until our hike down from the Sun Temple, I preferred it that
way. For me, there was a feeling of the sublime, of powers far beyond
me as I stood high in the mountains surrounded by fog and ever moving
and changing clouds. And I wondered...what secrets are hidden here?
What was it like to be a part of the Inca civilization and worship in
such a place?
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