Nestled high in
the Andes at an altitude of 2350m, and overshadowed by a 3000m peak, lies an
Old Mountain. For years, the morning mists settled on this ancient site keeping
the complex beneath shrouded in mystery.
While the ruins
of Machu Picchu can be accessed by train and a quick bus trip, the best way to
arrive to the ruins is along the famed, Inca
trail.
Covered in
forested area and overgrown with dense vegetation, it remained hidden from the
outside world until 1911, when archaeologists named Hiram Bingham, 'officially'
discovered the site. "Old Mountain" was home to the ancient Inca
Fortress better known today as Machu Picchu.
Such is the
ancient tradition of dedicated worship of the Quechan people of this region,
carrying forward a tradition that was entrenched in the life of the Inca
Civilization that occupied this region.
Built by the
Inca's in about 500AD, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu covers only a small section
of the ancient road system, which once spanned 23000km's and connected over
three million km of territory. The Inca
trail trek was built block by block along the spine of the Andes,
linking southern Ecuador to central Chile.
Shortly after
heading up the first of several passes one looks down onto the ruins of
Llactapata, or the Town on the Hillside. Rumor has it that the walls of these
ruins contain the secret to the whereabouts of a stash of buried gold.
Winding
alongside the Urubamba river, through deep valleys and up high passes, the
trail heads through some of the most picturesque scenery; hillsides covered in
red splashes of bromeliads, trees covered in bright purple fuchsia, endless
expanses of Puna Grassland and a myriad of hummingbirds darting about drawing
off the sweet nectar of the bright orange flowers that adorn the shrubs along
the paths.
Perhaps it is
the way the sunlight plays with the golden grasslands as it shines through the
clouds, or simply the lure of the mystery, but many a trekker stands mesmerized
as they peer down upon this ancient fortress.
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