 Machu Picchu Click to get the inside scoop from real travelers here at VirtualTourist. See the Machu Picchu Travel GuideInside advice from real people on:Overview, Hotels, Things to Do, Restaurants, Nightlife, Shopping, General Tips, Transportation, Off the Beaten Path, Tourist Traps, Warnings or Dangers, Local Customs, Packing Lists or Sports Travel.
722 Machu Picchu Tips. 1660 Machu Picchu Photos. 1 Machu Picchu Videos. Machu Picchu Pages by jadedmuse
| Page Views: 4,974 Last Visit to Machu Picchu: - | Lost City of the Incas by jadedmuse - last update: Mar 9, 2006 |
Human Curiosity - or Man's Arrogance? I think it is not so much a function of human curiosity as it is a symptom of man's arrogance, to question how another more ancient civilization could have accomplished something that otherwise defies contemporary explanations.
Such is the mystery of Machu Picchu. Historians and archaeologists still cannot explain the existence, the purpose, and the inhabitants of Machu Picchu - although they've been able to piece together some ideas and theories.
Machu Picchu is one of the last vestiges of an ancient empire that was beautiful, sophisticated, mystical, and in so many ways more highly evolved than the Europeans who "conquered" it. Some people may attribute the Incas' demise to the Spaniards' lust for gold; others will say that empires can never last; still some will say that this is a natural function of progress.
But I find the loss of the Inca Civilization - and their fabled city of Machu Picchu - to have a much simpler explanation: The Spaniards had rifles.
And so the sun set with a bang on a fascinating, flourishing and fabulously golden empire...due to gun powder. Machu Picchu is thus referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas"...it is named so in large part because it remained elusive to explorers for centuries - and because the original Spaniards searched all over for it, believing it to be full of gold (remember, this was a European culture obsessed with finding "El Dorado").
Some people consider it to be the Eighth Wonder of the World. It is difficult to reach - most likely by design. It is cradled in the bosom of Peru, protected by the Andean mountains and the sub-tropical jungle.
The Spaniards never did find it. The ruins seem to suggest that this was a city which housed approximately 1500 Inca residents, and theories abound as to who these residents were - and why they seemed to have so abruptly left. There are literally no traces, no explanations. The Incas were extremely organized, and they had a sophisticated communications system. I tend to think that the Incas somehow knew that the Spaniards were coming after them and that , given the Spaniards' drive to decimate, could very well find them even as this small enclave lay hidden amidst mountains and jungle. So this little community simply abandoned their sanctuary and moved on, in the name of self-preservation and survival.
Ironically, the only thing that has survived Machu Picchu is its mystery.
|
| View out of a trapezoidal window at Macchu Picchu |
|  | What Else is There to See in Peru?Please also see my travel tips for Cusco as well as Ica and Tambopata - they are MUST SEES while in Peru! |
|  | | Urubamba River flowing through the Sacred Valley |
|
> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
| Pros: | "Trekking the Inca trail, rounding the corner, seeing Macchu Picchu in the misty distance..." | | Cons: | "Dying to know what the Incas were doing there and why did they leave so mysteriously..." | | In A Nutshell: | "El Condor Pasa....y solo el condor sabe lo que pasa....." |
jadedmuse's Machu Picchu Travel Tips
jadedmuse's Machu Picchu Travelogues | | | |
|
Comments for jadedmuse about Machu Picchu | | | | |
starship Thu May 1, 2008 16:59 UTC Do you have any idea where on the trail the Vista Dome train crosses paths with the trail? I'm an older, inexperienced hiker/climber so I wonder about the train. Thanks | LKM1018 Fri Apr 4, 2008 10:56 UTC Great pics and Tips! Thanks for the "tour". My bf is dying to go... | calcaf38 Sat Feb 23, 2008 23:22 UTC Wonderful memories. I can't really believe I was there (took train both ways, though). Great photos and text, Michèle! You were brave to try chicha. I passed on both chicha and cuy... | HooptheWorld Tue Aug 14, 2007 06:36 UTC thanks...sage advice...!! |
|
|