|
When you get here you begin to understand why Machu Picchu stayed hidden for so long! This section of the Urubamba is very difficult to get to - even by the original Inca trail - and the city itself is way, way up in the cloud forest, almost at the top of the "Old Mountain" or Machu Picchu in Quechua - the language of the Incas. In addition to this, when Hiram Bingham re-discovered Machu Picchu, he had to hack his way through acres of rainforest before he set eyes on the lost city. Today it may be a little easier to get there but you'll still find it hard to believe that what was essentially a stone-age culture managed to build a city up here!
Hiram Bingham wasn't actually looking for a city called Machu Picchu - he was really looking for the city where the Incas had made their last stand - the lost city of Vilcabamba. When he found the walls and gates of the citade, he was convinced that in what we now call Machu Picchu he had indeed found it. Many people doubted this and in 1964 Gene Savoy found what are now agreed to be the ruins of Vilcabamba at Espiritu Pampa - a tough 5-day trek further on into the jungle.
So what was Machu Picchu?
What he had found still remains open to interpretation. Most archaeologists today agree that construction began at Machu Picchu some time around 1450, during the reign of the Inca Pachacutec, but its exact purpose is a matter of debate. Everyone you meet has a different explanation so we've attempted to summarise the most popular here: 
It has been suggested that Machu Picchu was primarily a military site, part of a ring of fortresses around Cusco designed to keep a lookout from incursions from the jungle - small-scale attacks from the Amazon basin were a habitual problem for the Incas. It certainly would be difficult to attack but there would seem to be little need for many of Machu Picchu's buildings at a purely military site and other sites understood to have had this function are nowhere near as grand.
A recent explanation has Machu Picchu as a kind of Balmoral of the Incas, a country retreat constructed at the behest of Inca Pachacutec. This would explain the quality of the building and also the fact that not many people in Inca society appeared to know about it; if it was purely for private use then that would explain why it was kept a secret with such apparent ease.
Finally, there is the last refuge of the archaeologist which is to suggest it was a religious site. In Machu Picchu's case this may not be so far from the mark. Even today, visitors are overwhelmed by the sheer presence of the place: the cloud-forest, the jungle-covered mountains, the silver Urubamba in the valey below... it is naturally just a stunningly beautiful place. For the Incas, who worshipped the natural world, it would perhaps have seemed logical to build a religious centre here in what would have been a very sacred place.
Of course, Machu Picchu may have come into existence for any combination of these reasons. Certainly in such a theocratic society it would be wrong to isolate religion from any other cause. What we may be sure of that the decision to build anything here came from the top - nothing less than royal authority could have mobilised the tens of thousands of workers needed to quarry and transport such large quantities of stone, and nothing less than royal authority would have moved 1,000 people from their homes to this new city in the clouds...
How to visit Machu Picchu
Today, you don't need to hack your way through rainforest like Hiram Bingham to visit Machu Picchu! A railway from Cusco to Aguas Calientes - the small town at the foot of Machu Picchu - was completed in 1928 and this is now the way most people get to and from the site. From Aguas Calientes you can take a small minibus up to the city of Machu Picchu itself. The train usually arrives in Aguas Calientes at around 10am and you need to be back down in Aguas Calientes for about 3pm to catch the return. For those of you who want more time at Machu Picchu than this allows, we can arrange for you to stay overnight in Aguas Calientes which will allow you to visit Machu Picchu again the next day. Alternatively, although expensively, you can also stay at Sanctuary Lodge - the only hotel built overlooking Machu Picchu itself. It's a kind of guilty pleasure, because you can't help feeling that they shouldn't have been allowed to build a hotel there but being able to watch the sun come up over the ruins is still an incredible sight...
 Other methods of transport to Machu Picchu, such as a cable-car link are always being proposed but its hard to see how to construct anything more than a small road without marring the beauty of the valley. Indeed, since an infamous accident in 1998 when a TV crew filming a beer advertisement chipped the sacred Intihuatana stone (the central point of Inca sun-ceremonies), any kind of development at Machu Picchu has been all but stopped. For similar reasons, an intermittent helicopter service from Cusco has ceased after worries about what the vibrations were doing to the rockface. Of course, there is another way apart from the train... we almost forgot that you could...
Trek the Inca Trail
Due to recent changes in regulations, (see our News Page for details), it is now more difficult to trek the famous Inca Trail as only 500 people a day are allowed on the trail. Despite occasional difficulties, this is still probably the way to see Machu Picchu - it's hard to beat the feeling of walking the actual ancient trail followed by the Incas themselves. Starting from Ollantaytambo, the Inca Trail trek takes four days and passes through stunning scenery and fascinating Inca sites such as Runku Rucay, Sayacmarca and Wiñay Wayna. It's not all easy going but the surroundings make it almost enjoyable and when you arrive at the Inti Punku (sun-gate) in time to see the sun rise over Machu Picchu... we're pretty confident you'll think it's been worthwhile!
If you'd like a little more detail on what exactly you'll do and see on the Inca Trail then have a look at our Classic Inca Trail package. We should also point out that we are currently in negotiations for a licence to start our very own Inca Trail company (the first UK operator to do so) but these things take a long time in Peru and until then we are working closely one of the oldest and most well-established agencies in Cusco to organise our Inca Trail treks. This means that you can rely on having an excellent guide, the best equipment, and - perhaps most imporantly - that your porters are both well-treated and well-paid. We know you wouldn't want to see Machu Picchu any other way!
The 'Alternative' Inca Trail - Salkantay
You usually need to book the Inca Trail a month or so in advance and for peak months it can be booked up way in advance so if trekking the classic Inca Trail just isn't possible because of your time commitments or if you just fancy something a little different, we can also offer an alternative way to get to Machu Picchu under your own steam. This route involves travelling by a more northerly route from Cusco, via the tallest mountain in the Cordillera Vilcabamba - the peak of Salkantay. This is no tougher as a trek than the traditional Inca Trail but lasts 5 days rather than 4. The real advantage of this trek is that you have the route largely to yourselves and the scenery is arguably even more impressive than the traditional route. If you'd like to know more about our classic and alternative versions of the Inca Trail, then click here to find out more about our Inca Trail treks.
To download this information as a PDF file click here
To find out more about our Peru holidays click here
|