following the sun: Machu Picchu

There are several ways to reach the Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu- we chose the 45 km, 4 day, Classic Inca Trail trek, along the paved roads and steps laid by the Incas over 500 years ago. The scenery was amazing, the weather was sunny, our group was great, the food was delicious and plentiful, and our guides were excellent. And yes, it was a tough hike, but unforgettable.

locals

view on bus ride to trail

The Group

"The first ruins encountered is a circular, walled complex with typical Incan niches inside. This beautiful Incan ruin is called Runkuracay ("Pile of Ruins") and is located at 12,139 feet (3.720 M) of elevation. The circular ruin is thought by archaeologists to have been a "tambo" which was a resting station for couriers traveling along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Runkuracay contains an area for sleeping and a stable area for their pack animals (generally llamas)."

"Patallacta is located between the Cusco and Machu Picchu on a stone-paved Inca highway, part of the Royal Road that climbed and twisted more than 5,000 miles through the Andes. The town, with its 115 dwellings guarded by a hilltop fortress, probably served as "a pit stop for Incas traveling between Cuzco and Machu Picchu," according to Ann Kendall, a British archaeologist who has spent 13 years studying the site. Agriculture sufficient to support perhaps 5,000 people flourished at 8,000 ft. above sea level, on the high slopes of the valley of the churning Cusichaca River.

Patallacta was burned by Manco Inca Yupanqui, who destroyed a number of settlements along the Inca trail during his retreat from Cusco in 1536 to discourage Spanish pursuit. In part due to these efforts, the Spanish never discovered the Inca trail or any of its settlements.

Today the land around Patallacta is powder-dry and barren. Fifteen families barely scratch a living from the soil, and almost nothing can be grown for the entire five-month dry season."