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They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I totally agree with that observation, however a little background information on what you are looking at is always helpful.
The destination was Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel built in in the 15th century and set high in the Andes Mountains. The journey to MP would take us through the colonial village of Pisac, the ancient Inca capital of Cusco, and small indistinct mountain villages as we traversed the trail through the Andes.
The gallery, except the first two pictures, are in chronological order of the trip.
Pisac, located in the sacred valley, is a good starting point to begin our altitude acclamation and also get an introduction to the people, the culture and the kaleidoscope of colors that are intermingled within.
Pisac offers some very challenging hiking trails, unique archeological sites, including the ceremonial site of Intiwatana. However for me it was the central market place, the local catholic church, and the surrounding mountain villages that drew my attention.
The Pisca pictures are an excellent introduction to the beauty of the country, the Peruvian highland people (both young and old), the social and economic importance of the marketplace, the church and the living conditions.
Although some local hotels will have a few modern day amenities, for most who come down from the highlands to buy and sell, it is easy to see that their lives have remained unchanged for decades and their daily routines are simple, uncomplicated and focused around the family.
The rest of the Pisca pictures can be viewed in the Peru album
Cusco at one time was the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th to 16th centuries. It has a very rich and deep history, however Wilkipedia and other sites can do a far better job detailing this city’s history than I can here.
What was unique for us was that we were in Cusco during the Inti Raymi celebration. The Inti Raymi festival is an ancient Incan ceremonial worship of the sun, and is a faithful representation of how the Incas did it when they celebrated the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.
The participants are from the villages all over the Cusco valley. They come not only representing their individual towns and villages but do it in traditional clothing, performing dances and playing the music that has been passed on for generations.
We captured some of the celebration in the main square but pulled the camera to the side streets where there was a far more candid and diverse representation of the people and the celebration.
The rest of the Cusco pictures can be viewed in the Peru album
ANDES
The next few days took us through the Andes on the way to Machu Picchu. We made our way up the mountain on narrow trails that we shared with llamas and donkey’s both coming and going from MP. We passed through small settlements. We saw some of the most dramatic landscape I have ever been exposed to and met those who have chosen to live in this rugged environment.
The rest of the Andes pictures can be viewed in the Peru album
We arrived at MP early in the morning as the clouds hung low over the ancient city giving it a dramatic backdrop. I have included a few pictures of MP in this gallery to give you an idea of its beauty and grandeur, but there are literally thousands of pictures taken per day and posted on the Internet that you can access.
Although the ancient city of MP offers an endless number of photo ops, for me the real opportunity was in Machu Picchu Pueblo.
Built in a deep valley, with the treacherous Vilcantoa River running right through the middle, this village is the stepping on/off point for tens of thousands of tourist who annually visit the ancient site.
The town, although bearing the same name as the ancient site, is best described as a dichotomy to the main attraction. It has to be traversed by using several bridges (of those that still remain after the 2010 flood). The town itself is carved out of the surrounding hillside thus making the streets very narrow and some of the construction questionable.
As you will see in the pictures this key village to MP totally depends upon the railroad for not only getting the tourist in and out of the valley, but also for transporting in the majority of the essential day to day goods from food to cement.
Now with all the technology at hand, mechanical means to move goods from point A to point B the village is a throwback to the ancient city it supports. The goods are moved today in much the same way as the material to build MP was moved and that in itself was worth capturing.
With all the tourist traffic passing through it is obvious the Pueblo does not share proportionately in the economic influx.
Its infrastructure, like many of the villages, towns and even some cities within Peru eventually develops and grows but that is directly attributable to the inherent resiliency of the people who live there, and in the case of the pueblo inhabitants, literally and figuertuvly push on to survive.
If you travel to MP the village is a bus stop, for me it was a photo story that showed the other side of the MP attraction.
The rest of the Machu Picch pictures can be viewed in the Peru album