Ace Visits Machu Picchu!

Although I am a time traveler (using my Mac), I sometimes go to places in the present time (using a plane ticket). I went to Machu Picchu (which is near Cusco, Peru) last month. It was very fun and interesting, and I plan to go back in past times (around 1400 A.D.) to learn more and see if all the theories are true. Meanwhile, I would like to share with you some of the things I saw and learned.

Me at Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu in Background

The Incas built many temples, towns and homes on the sides of mountains. On most mountains the Incas built terraces that are like giant steps. The purpose of the terraces is for a flat farm area to grow crops.

Terraces

A strange thing about the Incas is that in just 200 years they built tons of temples and towns that would take a long time to make! It seems like long time, but for the work that they did it is not at all. The work they did was amazing. They stacked rocks on top of each other so tight you cannot insert a piece of paper in between them! The rocks they stacked also could weigh up to fifty tons and they moved them miles over mountains and rocky terrain!

The Tightness of the Rocks

The Incas also carved in the rocks so that on a certain day the sun would shine through the carving and cast a shadow to make a particular shape to occur on specific days. On December 22, when the sun was directly above Machu Picchu (noon) there would be no shadows casted. On June 21, a circular shape shadow would occur. They used those dates because December 22 was the time when the sun was in the direct middle of the sky and June 21 because that was when the sun was lowest in the sky. Perhaps they carved these to mark the start of a planting season.

Machu Picchu was the most important temple because it was hidden to the Spanish therefore getting its nickname the Lost City. The Spaniards couldn’t destroy it because it was hidden in the backside of a mountain in a very remote location, far from other temples and villages. Machu Picchu is called the Lost City because the jungle had literally swallowed it by the time that Yale explorer Hiram Bingham III rediscovered it in 1911. When the overgrown vegetation was removed, the complex of ruins was revealed.

Because the Incas were acclimated (used to the height) they would run into the mountains with ease if they needed to retreat, leaving the attackers breathless.

The Incas also believed there were three steps to the world. The under world represented a snake, the puma signified ground level and the condor meant the air or heaven.

Fountain with Three Steps

Incas did not collect and display gold because they thought it was valuable; they only used it because they thought it was the sun god in physical form. But the Spanish on the other hand were the opposite. They took the gold because it was valuable and didn’t respect the spiritual importance.

The Incan cross is a very meaningful symbol. The Inca cross has twelve steps representing the twelve months. The cross also represents the steps of life that the Incan culture believed in. The bottom right corner signified the underworld where you are dead from a life before and being born again. The right upper corner represented growing older. The upper left hand corner signified dying and the lower left corner represented being buried. This supports one of the reasons the Incas believed in resurrection.

Incan Cross

I really enjoyed visiting Machu Picchu. I recommend climbing to the top of Huayna Picchu, which is an 8,924 foot, two hour climb to the very top. The summit of Huayna Picchu has a great view of Machu Picchu. If you have any questions about my trip, please leave a comment and I will be happy to answer them. Meanwhile, here are some more pictures that I took for you to enjoy:

The View of Machu Picchu from the Summit of Huayna Picchu

Stone Condor

Temple Where Incas Worshipped Their Sun God

Huayna Picchu

By: Ace Wells