Cusco Basilica

The Incan temple, Kiswarkancha, was the palace of the Incan emperor of Peru. When the Spaniards arrived in the early 1500s, they destroyed the temple and began building their own cathedral on top of the temple. They reused some of the rocks, and they had some hauled in from another site. The Cathedral was completed in 1664, after several architects worked on it. Eventually it had three naves, two side chapels, and a front wall. We also noted the crypt underneath, but we did not go in. In each chapel and niche, numerous statues of saints and the Virgin Mary were prominately displayed. The dress for each of them was quite colorful, and every statue of the crucified Christ was covered by a beautiful blanket of some sort. We entered the sacristy which was not very elaborate, but it did have pictures of every bishop who had ever served there, as well as a list of names. The 40th Bishop is currently serving in the Basilica. In addition to the highly decorated chapels, naves, and walls, many pictures are displayed. Artists from Spain came to Cusco to teach the natives to paint, but they were only allowed to paint religious paintings. One of the most famous is that of the Last Supper, but with some Andean intrigue added to it. Judas is placed in the bottom right hand side of the painting, and his skin is darker than the others. In the upper right of the painting is a picture of the sky with Andean symbols of the moon and the sun. And served on the plate in front of Jesus is a dead chinchilla (not a guinea pig, as some have thought), which is the Andean's way of passively signaling that they are not giving up all of their native ways. The three naves differ markedly, which makes the Basilica quite interesting. I am glad we visited it.

Qorikancha

The name means Gold Building (perhaps a hexagon) in Incan. It was the most important Incan temple - the Sun Temple - and it was built using only perfectly cut stone. It was also built to resist earthquakes, which it did successfully. This form of building came to exemplify the power of the Incas. At one point the walls were covered with gold, and many gold vases and items had been set in the niches. He even had the bodies of 7 deceased Incans, covered them with masks and gold, and placed them on benches. When the Spaniards arrived and captured Atahualpa, they demanded a ransom in gold, most of which came from the Sun Temple. In the temple is also a mural showing how the Incans looked at the stars. Rather than look at the stars themselves, they looked at the black space between the stars, and within the Milky Way they saw a serpent, a puma, and a few other animals. I hope to be able to see them in the Galapagos. Also, the Spaniards tore down much of the temple but they built on top of the foundation built by the Incas. When an earthquake struck, the Spanish portion collapsed, but the Inca portion held, thanks to their system of interlocking blocks and inclined walls. I have loved seeing the brilliance of ancient cultures. In college I studied the Aztec and Mayans more than the Incas, and all had quite sophisticated building techniques - all without mechanical labor. So interesting.

Ollantaytambo

We left Aguas Calientes and said good-bye to Machu Picchu, but within 5 minutes we were at our next stop - Ollantaytambo. It is another abandoned Inca temple, unfortunately unfinished. The structure was daunting - many stairs to the top, but we knew we would regret not walking up them, so 200+ steps later, we were at the top. The granite used for the temple came from across the mountain, and the Inca slid the rocks down the hill where the quarry was, pushed it across the large river that is much smaller in the dry season, and then, they used a ramp to push/pull the large rock up to the top. They used ropes made of alpaca, which are very strong, to pull the rocks up the hill, and then they chipped and shaped the rocks to fit together tightly. Unfortunately, when the Spaniards arrived, they destroyed much of the structure, but the essentials pieces remain. After getting toward the top, it was easy to pick out the storage facilities high on the mountains. The Inca stored seeds and grain there to distribute to farmers as needed. It was high enough to keep intruders away, and enough grain was stored to furnish many farmers. The day was beautiful and not too hot, which allowed us to climb the temple rather easily. We were quite pleased we succeeded.

Day Two: Machu Picchu

The day started with catching the bus, which was much different from yesterday The line to board the buses was several blocks long, but luckily, it moved quickly. When we arrived at the entrance, once again the lines were long, but that was mostly for the other two circuits, and Circuit Three, the lower one, had fewer people in line, so we were able to get through more quickly. During this part of the tour, we walked on the terraces and then up to the housing area. At one point we had to climb 64 rocky stairs, and to my delight, I was able to do so without stopping. I am improving, no doubt! Cesar took us to the housing areas where four central housing areas were surrounded by sleeping rooms, storage rooms, and other areas. He showed us the very developed water drainage and filtration systems, he explained the difference in construction of the temples versus the regular rooms, he showed us the granite lentils and door-locking systems, and described some of the places where it has not been possible to determine why certain stairwells or roooms were constructed. One very beautiful area was the cave under one of the temples that had very smooth walls, and the area with the drawing of the condor. The head is very easy to distinguish, and some say that other rocks form the condor's wings. Who knows? One our way out we were able to greet the local llamas, and then we were back on the bus and going home.

Machu Picchu

And finally on Friday, we traveled to Machu Picchu. After our healing ceremony, we took a bus and then a train to Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu. We then caught a bus for a 30-minute, winding and twisting road up to the entrance to Machu Picchu. We were a bit concerned as it was raining, but just before we arrived, the rain stopped, and through the afternoon, it began to clear up. Cesar explained to us about the Inca trail (the one Di and Daniel climbed a few years ago), and then we were introduced to the wonder of Machu Picchu. Because the Spaniards never could find it, when Hiram Bingham found it, the site was exactly as it has been when the Incas abandoned it before 1500 AD, although it was terribly overgrown by the rainforest. Apparently the overgrowth was so difficult to remove, Bingham actually tried burning the area. Luckily, the structures were made of stone and only the overgrowth was removed. Carbon dating and other resources have shown Machu Picchu to have been occupied by about 750 people from about 1438 to 1500 through the reign of two Inca emperors. Although many speculate that it was built in the early 1400s, I find it hard to believe that it could be constructured that quickly. Each stone was chipped to perfection, they had to be hauled around the site, the terraces had to be built. It just does not seem possible that it could be built so quickly . . . but no one asked me. Our afternoon tour was perfect - not many people were there, the rain quit and the sun blessed us with its presence, and the temperatures were perfect. Cesar explained the transportation to the area that included numerous trails to many other Inca cities; the Sun Temple, where the sun's rays go through one of the windows on the summer equinox; and the sundial on top of one of the hills that has its shortest shadow on June 21 and its longest one on December 21. Although the elevation of Machu Picchu is not that high (7900 feet - the same as the cabin), we found climbing the many stairs caused many of us to be winded. We took it slow, and although the stone stairs created some balance issues, no one had much trouble. By the time we had completed Circuit 2, however, we were pretty tired and relieved to get back to the hotel.

Coca Tea and the Controversy

Also on our way to Urubamba, we stopped at a woman's house to discuss coca tea and its use among Peruvians. The coca leaf is used commonly (daily) among Peruvians to help with digestion, altitude, and other ailments. It makes it possible for workers to work longer, they don't get hungry, and they have great stamina. They usually chew the leaves, though they also use it in tea that tastes somewhat like chamomile. For those who live in the villages, the coca leaf is an important part of their commerce and is not an adictive substance. The woman with who we spoke harvests the coca leaves from her family farm a few miles away, and every week she can sell 6 pounds to the government. She mades about 30 sols ($10) for her leaves, which is how she makes her money. That is not enough to support her and her family, however, so she manages to find other ways to bring the leaves into the town - under her dress, between sheets, and the like. She then sells her leaves to the local people. The controversy comes with those who take the coca leaves and process it into cocaine, which is addictive and has ruined many lives. Cocaine is an effective medicinal when used correctly, but unfortunately, it finds its way to people who use it illegally. Peru is trying to squash the production of coca leaves because of the illegal drug trafficking, but in so doing, it will cause many to lose not only their livelihoods but a substance that helps them in their daily lives. What is the answer? There is not one that will work for both those in the cities and in the country. We will be paying more attention, however, to the way this country resolves this issue.

Textiles and the Incas

On our way to Urubamba, we stopped at a weaving demonstration where we learned the art of weaving textiles from the beginning. The difference between baby alpaca and "maybe" alpaca was explained, we were shown how the alpaca wool is cleaned, and then we were shown the natural dying. Their dyes are very bright, mostly because they boil the wool for five hours or so to increase the intensity of the color. Then she gave us a demonstration using cochineal, which is a reddish, purple dye. This day, however, using a mordant of alum and adding salt, it turned a vibrant orange. They, too, use lichens and other natural plants, but they were surprised when I told them about using the tops of the carrots and onion skins. I wonder if they will try it! Finally, we moved to the station with the weavers. In the Larco museum is a sample of Inca weaving that is over 300 threads per inch - amazing and apparently a world record for hand weaving. The ladies who were weaving in the center did not weave that precisely, but their patterns showed creativity and skill, and they were reversible, which is not easy to do on a hand loom. The work was very fine and quite interesting to watch. One thing we were told made us chuckle - they have a natural soap that they use to clean the wool, and the women use it on their beautiful hair. The Incan's hair does not turn gray - which they attribute to the soap - though we would suggest genetics might have something to do with it!