I suspect that the picture of Machu Picchu that many a person has in their mind’s-eye is one that evokes fantasy, a place that one suspects could only exist in the imagination. There is the iconic picture of Machu Picchu that one has perhaps seen in a book, or on the Internet, that evokes a sense of wonder, a sense of this being a place that is really not of this world. It is a place that exists in many people’s bucket lists, a place that some people wish to see at least once in their lifetime. In fact, many in our tour group were visiting Peru primarily to see Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu was about to become reality for us today. Could it even live up to the expectations? We were about to find out.
First of all, some background regarding the ruins at Machu Picchu. There have been many theories over the years regarding its significance, but it is now believed to have been a royal estate built by Emperor Pachachutec, the Incas greatest ruler. He was responsible for the expansion of the Inca Empire, which at a point was larger than the Roman Empire. (The Inca Empire, however, did not last too long, destroyed by infighting, disease, and finally the Spanish conquest.) Pachachutec deliberately chose a site for this complex that was difficult to access, on top of Machu Picchu (which means old mountain). The location seems to be most easily accessible from a single direction, through a mountain pass via the Inca trail.
The Incas were great civil engineers. They built a series of roads that spanned over many thousands of miles to connect their major centers. Some of these pathways still exist today. The Inca trail to Machu Picchu is probably one of the most famous of these roads. The Incas also developed strategies for supporting agriculture in the mountains, using techniques to build structures that optimized the use of their resources. They also built structures with great precision, managing to move large rocks and place them against each other for form walls with minimal gaps in them.
In order to build Machu Picchu, the Incas first built a series of terraces starting at lower levels to support the structures on top. These terraces were designed to drain excess water from the top quickly. They were marvels of engineering design, with layering of different kinds of material in the terraces to allow the water to safely drain away slowly. These terraces survive even today. They had rock quarries at the top of the mountain to also help with the construction of the buildings. They got a lot of rain in those parts. In fact one of the challenges of visiting Machu Picchu is experiencing good weather when you visit!
Machu Picchu somehow survived the destruction that the Spanish sowed everywhere in their path. They demolished anything that they found that had to do with the Inca religion. Perhaps Machu Picchu survived because the Spanish did not know of its existence. Machu Picchu was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 when he went to Peru on a National Geographic sponsored expedition. Bingham’s goal was to discover the lost Incan capital of Vilcambamba. He convinced himself that he had indeed found Vilcambamba at Machu Picchu, but he was wrong. (This is what happens when you have biases, and a predetermined objective in mind!) The good thing was that in spite of his biases, Bingham was a good explorer. He did a good job documenting what he had found. The road up the mountain to the Estate of Machu Picchu is named after him today. It is the only way to get to the ruins by motor vehicle. The only other approach is to hike the trails!
After passing town, we drove down the dirt road towards the hills.
Here is a patch of red quinoa that we saw on the way. We saw quinoa in many places in Peru. 
The fields looked fertile. Winter will soon be coming to Peru.
At the agricultural center we encountered some dry desert vegetation.
We were told that the agricultural terraces at Moray were used by the Incas to develop varieties of crops that could be grown all over the country. Because of the levels of the individual terraces that you can see in the picture below, the temperature difference between the bottom-most level and the top was about 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Each level of the terrace is at a slightly different temperature from the ones above and below it, and experiences its own micro climate. The temperature at the bottom is more in keeping with the temperature at sea level, and the temperatures at the top correspond to those in the mountains. By slowly moving plants through different levels of the terraces over long periods of time, the Incas got them to adapt to the micro climate corresponding to that level. The modified plants could then be grown in other parts of the country. (FYI, the Inca empire covered an area greater than that of the Roman empire at one time in history.)
FYI, Potatoes originated in Peru, and there are over 3000 varieties of potatoes that grow all over the country.
We saw tour groups on ATVs on the dirt roads during our visits to Maras and Moray. This is a different way to see Peru!
I snapped this picture as we were descending back into the Sacred Valley and Urubamba, on our way back after our morning trip.
Here is the bridge under construction over the Urubamba river.
Here is a picture of another very common form of mototaxi in Peru. It seems to be a modified motorbike.
Next blog in the series 
The picture below is an advertisement for transportation to what may be the most popular destination in the country for international tourists.
As we drove out of town, we passed a hill with a statue of 
There was another monument to the Emperor Pachacutec, beside the road that we were driving along. 
We climbed out of the valley that Cusco is situated in using a series of switchbacks. The bus made a stop somewhere along the way, on the hillside, to provide views of the city. While we were stopped we got instructions on the use of 
We stopped for lunch at the village of 
The 
I was fascinated by the way the kids were carried around by their mothers.
Who can resist pictures of cute children! This one continued to turn around and look at me as mom walked away.
Lunch was followed by a demonstration of the process for creating different colored threads from the wool. This thread is used for making the different products sold by the cooperative. 
Most of the people in this part of Peru are 
While walking through town we passed a procession. It could have been the procession in celebration of Easter.
There also seemed to be some kind of meeting going on in town. I heard two different accounts regarding the subject of the meeting. One was that this was a funeral service. The other was that this was a meeting of the mayors of the local villages. They are sitting to the left of the picture below. I was told that the mayors carry their official staffs with them, and these had been collected in a standing pile in front of where they are seated. A good amount of 
Then it was onward to our destination for the night. The view beside the mountain roads was beautiful. We stopped for pictures. The snow-capped peaks of the Andes appeared in the distance.
The valleys were covered with meadows, green fields, and clumps of trees. There were flowers by the wayside. For some reason I began to think of 
The clouds moved swiftly across the sky.
And then we began our descent into the Sacred Valley following a series of switchbacks down a steep mountainside.
The sun was beginning to set as we got to our hotel on the outskirts of the town of 
Urubamba is a small place beside the 
At dinner we were entertained by a musician playing music on different kinds of 
While you are in Peru, you will hear the song 
Splattered Brains 