|
 Cuzco
(also known as Cusco) and
the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu (recently declared as one of the
"new" Seven Wonders of the World) are probably the best known and most
visited sites in all of South America and should be high on the list
of any traveler to this continent.
 The City of Cuzco
is located in the Southeastern part of the country at an altitude of
3,399 meters above sea level. It was declared as
"cultural patrimony of the world " and is considered to be the
archeological capital of South America and is without doubt the
biggest tourist attraction in Peru. The city is filled with Inca
History and architecture, including the immense Sacsayhuaman
Fortress, the Q'enqo amphitheater, the ruins of Puca-Pucara and
Tambomachay with its suggestive waterfalls. The Churches, which
quite often were built by the Catholic conquerors over Inca temples,
are filled with excellent works of art from the Cuzco school and
pagan image.
Besides visits to the ruins both
in the city and in the mountains there are many other activities
that should be considered when visiting the area. The Inca trail is
a highlight for any adventure traveler and brings hikers back in
time when Inca runners used to deliver messages between settlements
and fortresses.
 The surrounding areas of Cuzco
are rich in history as the city is itself. To the south we find the
ruins of Piquillacta, a small Inca village, and the colonial church
of Andahuaylillas. To the north is the Sacred Valley of the Incas,
irrigated by the Urubamba river, where picturesque towns such as
Pisac, with its important ruins and its colorful Sunday market are
located.
Machu Picchu, once the citadel of
the Inca culture in Peru, sits atop a mountain in a jungle of green
landscape at an altitude
of 2,400 meters (some 8,000 feet) above sea level.
The citadel was a mystery for over
400 years and was left undiscovered during the Spanish Conquest. Not
that the Spanish did not search, they wanted to find the gold that
was believed to have been there but their search was in vain. The
"lost city" of the Incas lost credibility over time, as it sat
disguised in the jungle, hidden by eons of overgrowth.
 In 1911, Yale
archaeologist Hiram Bingham finally found Machu Picchu, "the Lost
city of the Inca",
after years of searching. The "find" of the
ancient city made worldwide news, as the citadel was slowly disrobed
from her green vegetative mantle of vines and plant life.
With a semi tropical
climate this monumental archeological unit comprises palaces,
temples, plazas, dwellings, steps and terraces.
Visitors to Cuzco
should take at least a full-day excursion to Machu Picchu. Beginning
in Cuzco, we take the train early in the morning, ride
through the impressive Sacred Valley of the Incas ending at Aguas
Calientes from where we explore the ruins at Machu Picchu. |
