Don’t get me wrong, Machu Picchu (Perú, South America) is one of the most magnificent, awe‑inspiring sites in the world. But there’s more to it than it’s commonly known.
Machu Picchu is the central piece of a region called “The Sacred Valley”. Sacred to whom? Well, the Incas, of course!
If you think Machu Picchu is all there is to see, you are mistaken. Here’s why!
But let’s go back in history a bit
The Incas were one of the most important pre-columbian civilizations in the American continent and inhabited the highlands from the south of Colombia, to the Atacama Desert in Chile, including Ecuador, Perú and Bolivia as well.
The Inca Empire (known as Tahuantinsuyo) comprised a large number of very advanced different cultures that were gathered together under the reign of The Inca, who managed the empire from the region of Cusco.
Tahuantinsuyo saw its end between 1530 and 1540 at the hands of Francisco Pizarro’s conquering campaign.
What you can find today
The center of this empire was located at The Sacred Valley near the city of Cusco today. When visiting The Sacred Valley you will find numerous archaeological sites and excavations, which give you a very good idea of how they lived and thrived.
When I went there a friend and I hired a local driver that our hotel personnel recommended and he drove us to all the Inca sites nearby. To visit all of these sites and be in the places that these people walked hundreds of years ago, is an experience I will never forget.
And I will talk about it more in future posts, to squeeze Machu Picchu and The Sacred Valley in one post is just plain impossible. Today I want to focus in the unexpected event that to this day, gives me goose bumps.
So our driver took us to all the wonderful sites and he also served as an informal tour guide. The roads in Perú were very good and he had a pretty good car.
At dawn, after having visited many sites and on our way to the last places, he suddenly stops the car. And he says to us: “Just get out of the car and sit silently on the ground”.
It was cold, Cusco is very cold, being at 3400 m of altitude, and there was just one small peasant house in sight. I hadn’t realized… The Sacred Valley is surrounded by snow capped mountains. Beautiful, wonderful, right there in your face snow capped mountains. I have no idea why nobody speaks about them…
“Shhh”, he says. “Listen”. The deepest silence I have ever experienced, but it wasn’t scary… it was as if we were in the presence of something larger, something universal… It was embracing us, welcoming us.
It dawned on me that this fantastic landscape was what the Incas saw every day and where they decided to center their civilization, mountains were sacred for them and this land is where they walked.
I don’t know how long we sat there, but it felt eternal and uplifting. The sun was setting slowly and the mountains were changing colors with the light.
About Machu Picchu
If you’re planning on going to Machu Picchu as your next cultural travel, do read a bit about the Incas and their incredible history. And don’t miss seeing the snow capped mountains, they’re almost close enough to touch.
Keep on the lookout for future posts where I’ll talk about logistics of visiting The Sacred Valley, the most important sites and the amazing food!
Are you looking to visit remarkable places? Which places do you wish to see?
Have you ever experienced anything like this? As if your heart was about to burst into song?
Leave a comment If you’ve been there, I’d love to read about your experience!
Or leave a comment if you haven’t been there but are dying to! All comments are welcome!
There’a lot more to Peru than just Machu Picchu. In fact, it’s turning into a “Disneyland” due to mass tourism. I’d also like to visit more remote parts of Peru…
Indeed! Do come back and let us know about your travels in Perú!
Thank for your post, it was wonderful… a great read in preparation for the trip is “Last Days of the Incas” by Kim McQuarrie.