Incas and cuys

  Machu Picchu, Peru
Tuesday, April 22, 2008

An early start for a flight to Cusco and a 1 hour taxi to the Sacred Valley for the second stage in our acclimatization to altitude. So far so good.

Local varieties of corn

We have been drinking lots of Coca tea ( the local preventative for altitude sickness); this is made from leaves of the Coca plant more commonly known as the source of cocaine. The locals have used it for centuries; either chewing the leaves or making tea from them. In a local museum there are small statues that had been buried with Inca mummies and one can see bulges in their cheeks from the coca leaf wads.

Coca leaf tea

It wouldn't be our first choice of beverage from a taste point of view but if it is good for us then we will continue to drink it. Apparently the original recipe for Coca Cola contained Coca leaves and ironically Peru is the only country in the world where the local equivalent (a bright yellow concoction called Inka Cola) outsells Coca Cola.

 This valley is beautiful, farming country; mainly corn on the cob was being harvested and laid out to dry when we were here.

Sacred valley family selling local crafts

The village people are so colourful and the women weave and dye fabics using traditional natural dyes to colour wool from llamas and alpacas. We found out that the bright red they use is cochineal which comes from a tiny beetle that lives on cacti. We were shown one and when squashed it made our hands bright red.

Vibrant colours of natural dyes

There are several significant Inca ruins in the area. We spent a day at each end of the valley exploring the ancient Inca towns of Ollantaytambo and Pisac.

Ollantaytambo Inca village

The former is the most complete surviving example of an Inca town. We were told that, until recent years, there had been no control over this site and we saw local houses with magnificent carved stones in their gardens.

Cuy 'castle' and Inca stone table Ollantaytambo

In both towns and throughout the valley there are magnificent examples of Inca terracing used for farming and for growing decorative flowers etc. Some are around 8 feet high and all  with intricate drainage systems throughout that  took years to build and perfect for different crops.

Cuy 'castle' Ollantaytambo

This is also where we saw our first example of a modern cuy 'castle'; it was in the garden of a restaurant and we wonder if it was like seafood restaurants where one can choose fish etc.? The little cuy looked so cute and cuddly running in and out of their rooms. We also had our first purple corn pudding here which was tasty and refreshing and completely natural despite its bright colour.

Purple corn pudding

While wandering around the village we saw other cuy homes in peoples gardens.

Inca terracing Pisac

The day in Pisac was interesting as our guide was an old man but so fit and we had to work hard to keep up with him. He was from the hill country and one of the many who still believe in the traditional ways. At one point he had us both humming into niches in the temples, holding crystals, while he played his pan pipes to explain how the priests used to communicate with their gods.

Pisac ruins invoking the gods

He also wore several beautiful stones around his neck and when we asked about them he said that, because of his job, he had throat problems and these were the stones that would help. A very interesting insight into the ideas of some of the local people. The people from the high country come into the town of Pisac once a week to barter their goods and gossip. It seems that they still live the traditional way in the hills despite their exposure to so many tourists. There is still a lot of ancient belief here.

Pisac Market natural dyes for sale

After 2 days in the Valley we caught a morning train for the almost 3 hour journey to Agua Callientes for Machu Picchu. We were in a Vistadome carriage with large windows so had wonderful views as the train made its way trhrough beautiful scenery.

Agua Calientes train through main street

On arrival at Agua Calientes the only way to ascend to Machu Picchu is by bus; a 20 minute journey. We had treated ourselves to 1 night at the Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel right at the site, so that we could maximise our exploration up there. We checked in, had lunch and then rushed for our first view of Machu Picchu and it did not disappoint. Even after all the images we had seen it was still amazing.

Machu Picchu hidden in the hills

That first afternoon we had a private guide  for  2 hours and learnt so much about the history of the Incas and Machu Picchu in particular.

Tour guide Machu Picchu

As we were walking around, a single Andean Condor soared above us and our guide was so excited. We couldn't understand why until she explained that the particular indigenous group  from whom she was descended took an animal as their soul creature and hers is a Condor so it was good luck to see one here in a holy place.

Machu Picchu

Another example of how  modern, educated people still hold the old beliefs here. We came across this very often in our encounters with locals.

Inca stonework at Machu Picchu

They are a very interesting mix. After she left us we walked around till the site closed and we had to leave.

Machu Picchu

The next day we got up early to watch the sun rise over Machu Picchu and it was worth losing sleep for.

Llamas Machu Picchu

We hiked for about 40 minutes up to the Sun Gate, which is where the Inca Trail enters Machu Picchu. What an amazing view. It was all incredible. We were sad to leave after lunch for the train back to Ollantaytambo and on to Cusco.

Cusco main square

Cusco was the ancient capital of the Inca Empire and is a very interesting town. We stayed at a hotel that had been a monastery and it had a very calm and peaceful feel there. The main attraction here, in Cusco, for us was a famous painting from the Cusco School. When the Spanish arrived and tried to convert the Incas to Christianity they had communication problems and  used religious paintings as a teaching aid. The locals copied these sacred paintings but added local touches to personalise them to their lives. They painted in such things as local trees, flowers and animals and it is interesting to see these paintings in churches and galleries here. The one we really wanted to see was The Last Supper displayed in the Cusco Cathedral.

The Last Supper of Cuy

It shows a cuy as the main part of the meal. We had read of it but did not quite believe it till we saw it. It was all true. What an interesting find.

Another interesting story is of a Dominican monastery which had been hiding a beautiful Inca stone temple for centuries since the Spanish built around it. An earthquake, in the nineteen fifties, toppled part of the monastery and the secret was revealed for all to see. They were forced to open it to the public and the town took over the beautiful site.

Inca walls hidden by monks

The Spanish did that sort of thing quite a lot; building churches, monasteries and cathedrals over Inca buildings. Trying to dominate the Inca culture and beliefs.
Peru's history and its people turned out to be so interesting and we really learnt so much. What a rich cultural and spiritual background; no wonder the people are so interesting. David, of course, was more interested in a certain aspect of local cuisine and after trying the Cusco baked variety voted in favour of the Arequipean fried one.

Last Supper close up