Andean Observer

Cuzco -- Imperial City

The story is that the original Incas set out from Lake Titicaca, vowing to journey until it was possible to plunge a staff into the ground to half its length. The fertile territory were that proved possible was Cuzco, and it was there that the Incas established their capital. In an astoundingly short period of around 120 years, Pachacutec and his descendants then extended their empire out to reach from central Argentina to southwestern Colombia. This was Tawantinsuyu, the empire of the four corners, which lasted until the wars of succession and the Spanish conquest of the 16th century.

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Cuzco's red-tiled roofs and 17th century churches make its first impressions not unlike a town in northern Italy. That's before you notice the Incan influences throughout the city, and of course the 3,200 metres of altitude that leaves most visitors feeling dizzy and tired on their first couple of days.

The Incan temple of Coricancha was dedicated to the sun god and reportedly covered in amazing gold objects and ornaments. Sadly, the Spanish conquistadores had little respect for cultural riches, and the temple was trashed. The colonial church of San Francisco was built over the foundations of the temple. The Incan stonework can be seen at the right of this picture, its almost unearthly precision contrasting with the Spanish baroque columns and arches.

The vestiges of Incan architecture that weren't sacked or dismantled during the Spanish conquest have easily resisted the region's intermittent earthquakes and can be seen throughout Cuzco, sometimes as foundations of latter buildings. Structures like this wall were constructured with geometrical precision, and without any cement.

This photo shows the scale of the blocks of stone making up the massive walls of the fortress of Saqsayhuaman. No one quite knows how these stones were transported to the site, nor how they were fitted together so exactly.

Saqsayhuaman is thought to have taken about 50 years to construct, begining in the reign of Tupac Yupanqui, the ninth Inca, and was used for ritual and/or military purposes.

Below is an attempt to piece together a panorama of the entire Saqsayhuaman complex. The sun went partially behind a cloud between when I took the two photos.

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

When local Quechua peasants led US explorer Hiram Bingham to some overgrown ruins above the Urubamba valley in 1911, he was impressed, but not overexcited. At the time, he was obsessed with climbing Nevado Coropuna, which he mistakenly believed to be the highest mountain in South America. Since then, Machu Picchu has become the most famous destination in the continent, as much for the allure of its mysterious history as for its dramatic setting on the edge of a precipice. The best way to reach Machu Picchu is by the four-day Inca trail across a series of mountain passes from the Urubamba valley.

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The first day of the Inca Trail trek is a stroll along the balmy Urubamba valley, at around 2,500 metres above sea level . The trail follows the direction of the river -- and the railway that runs directly to the town of Aguas Calientes -- amidst the subtropical vegetation of the upper Sacred Valley.

On day two is the hardest climb of the Inca Trail, with a climb from the campsite of Huayllabamba at 2,800 metres, to the Warmiwañusca pass at 4,200 metres above sea level. The first part of this climb winds up through exotic cloud forest vegetation dense tangled trees and hanging moss.

You're sure this is the top? From the campsite near Huayllabamba (bottom of the valley, tiny triangle in mid picture), the Inca Trail rises 1,400 metres to the Warmiwañusca pass at 4,200 metres above sea level. Fortunately, it gets easier from there, as the trail drops to the next campsite near the Pacaymayo river.

On the third day, the Inca Trail passes various small ruins while winding over the second and third passess. After the beautiful and well-restored ruin of Phuyupatamarca the trail drops dramatically into the orchid-rich cloud forest, descending 1,000 vertical metres to the final camp at Wiñayhuayna .

From the end of the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu emerges out of the mist. Whether or not you take seriously the 20th-century mysticism that claims Machu Picchu to be a 'global centre of spiritual energy', the ruins are an ethereal site after a four-day slog along the trail.

Much of the Machu Picchu complex has seen significant reconstruction, and this piece of monmental stonework is one of the few pieces of original architecture in the sanctuary. There is considerable debate s about the extent to which prehispanic sites such as Machu Picchu should be reconstructed, with some archeologists preferring that ruins be left in their natural state.

The classic view of Machu Picchu, featuring a young looking Hugo Centi, shows how the complex is perched on a promontory between mountain peaks and a steep drop to the river. Archeologists still debate about the reasons why the Incas established a settlement in such a precarious and inaccessible spot.

This is a view back over the Machu Picchu complex from Wayna Picchu, the pointy shaped peak that hovers in the background of the classic postcard view of the sanctuary (centre of the previous photo). It's 30 minutes scramble up steep and precarious trails to to the top of Wayna Picchu, providing spectacular views over the Urubamba valley.

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