The next morning we woke up before sunrise again and met Henry to join the line of tourists waiting for the buses from Aguas Calientes up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Due to the fact that it was a national holiday weekend, the bus line was extra long. Henry was able to get us up near the front of the line by having us join another tour group from Alpaca Expeditions who had been up extra early to beat the crowds. Even though I felt guilty that we cut off a bunch of people, jumping in line was a common sight to see there. No one seemed too annoyed, or maybe they didn't realize we did it since there were so many people around! Oh well...
The bus up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes isn't very long. Luckily the site wasn't crazy crowded when we arrived. We were able to sit upon the hill overlooking Machu Picchu and reflect on its historic significance before entering.
Machu Picchu was built around 1450 and was believed to be an estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti. The site was abandoned a century later during the time of the Spanish Conquest, and remained unknown to the outside world until 1911, when an American historian named Hiram Bingham was taken there by a local farmer in 1911. Since the Spanish never found Machu Picchu, it was untouched and overgrown with jungle when Bingham arrived. In the years after Bingham arrived, the area was cleared and excavated. Machu Picchu is now one of the new 7 Wonders of the World. To reduce the impact of tourism these days, the Peruvian government has put a cap on 2500 tourists visiting the ruins per day.
Once we entered the ruins of the ancient city, we found out that there was an area where the lower class people lived, and a separate area for the upper classes. There were some interesting ruins such as the Temple of the Sun, royal tombs, Temple of the Condor, Temple of Three Windows, and liturgical fountains, among many others. The stonework was pretty impressive considering the time period in which the city was built. Also, there were some llamas laying on the grass among the ruins which were pretty entertaining and fun to take selfies with!
It was interesting to imagine what it would be like to live in Machu Picchu as the Incas did. I can't imagine what Hiram Bingham must have felt when he first laid eyes on the place, abandoned and hidden for centuries.
Before leaving this magical place I stamped my passport as a souvenir. Machu Picchu exceeded my expectations, which were already pretty high. It is like no other place I've ever seen.
The bus up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes isn't very long. Luckily the site wasn't crazy crowded when we arrived. We were able to sit upon the hill overlooking Machu Picchu and reflect on its historic significance before entering.
Machu Picchu was built around 1450 and was believed to be an estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti. The site was abandoned a century later during the time of the Spanish Conquest, and remained unknown to the outside world until 1911, when an American historian named Hiram Bingham was taken there by a local farmer in 1911. Since the Spanish never found Machu Picchu, it was untouched and overgrown with jungle when Bingham arrived. In the years after Bingham arrived, the area was cleared and excavated. Machu Picchu is now one of the new 7 Wonders of the World. To reduce the impact of tourism these days, the Peruvian government has put a cap on 2500 tourists visiting the ruins per day.
Once we entered the ruins of the ancient city, we found out that there was an area where the lower class people lived, and a separate area for the upper classes. There were some interesting ruins such as the Temple of the Sun, royal tombs, Temple of the Condor, Temple of Three Windows, and liturgical fountains, among many others. The stonework was pretty impressive considering the time period in which the city was built. Also, there were some llamas laying on the grass among the ruins which were pretty entertaining and fun to take selfies with!
It was interesting to imagine what it would be like to live in Machu Picchu as the Incas did. I can't imagine what Hiram Bingham must have felt when he first laid eyes on the place, abandoned and hidden for centuries.
Before leaving this magical place I stamped my passport as a souvenir. Machu Picchu exceeded my expectations, which were already pretty high. It is like no other place I've ever seen.
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