Machu Picchu, Peru, December 2008
Near the train station at Aguas Calientes, the tourist town that did not exist when Ron visited Machu Picchu in 1971
Looking down from Machu Picchu. Aguas Calientes is behind the pointed mountain. The bus from there up to Machu Picchu comes along the road by the river, crosses the bridge, and switchbacks up the mountain through multiple biospheres
Entrance to Machu Picchu: what you see after you pass through the admission gate
Further along the path from the entrance
From the entrance path, you walk through a set of buildings, and then this view opens in front of you
Machu Picchu - the classic view. The plastic is sheltering current archaeological work
Out tour guide gives us some history
Machu Picchu
Looking up towards the astronomical observatory/temple -- yes, we did climb all the steps to get up there!
Getting closer to the observatory/temple
Intihuatana (loosely translated as "hitching post of the sun"), the centerpiece of the observatory/temple. Its corners are oriented to the compass points, including pointers to both true and magnetic north. In 2000 the Peruvian government was completing negotiations to sell Machu Picchu to a private company. A crew was filming a beer commercial when a crane that was part of the filming equipment hit and broke off a corner of Intihuatana. According to our guide, Peruvians, who to that point had been indifferent to the government's plans, were so horrified by the damage to what is believed to be a sacred spot and spiritual power center that, led by people from the Cusco region, massive protests erupted. The government fell the next day -- the day on which it had expected to sign the final paperwork for the sale. Machu Picchu was not sold.
Mother llama with baby. There was a herd of about 14 llamas grazing in the ruins -- no need for lawn mowers!
Looking back towards the entrance/exit from inside the complex
Near the train station at Aguas Calientes, the tourist town that did not exist when Ron visited Machu Picchu in 1971
Looking down from Machu Picchu. Aguas Calientes is behind the pointed mountain. The bus from there up to Machu Picchu comes along the road by the river, crosses the bridge, and switchbacks up the mountain through multiple biospheres
Entrance to Machu Picchu: what you see after you pass through the admission gate
Further along the path from the entrance
From the entrance path, you walk through a set of buildings, and then this view opens in front of you
Machu Picchu - the classic view. The plastic is sheltering current archaeological work
Out tour guide gives us some history
Machu Picchu
Looking up towards the astronomical observatory/temple -- yes, we did climb all the steps to get up there!
Getting closer to the observatory/temple
Intihuatana (loosely translated as "hitching post of the sun"), the centerpiece of the observatory/temple. Its corners are oriented to the compass points, including pointers to both true and magnetic north. In 2000 the Peruvian government was completing negotiations to sell Machu Picchu to a private company. A crew was filming a beer commercial when a crane that was part of the filming equipment hit and broke off a corner of Intihuatana. According to our guide, Peruvians, who to that point had been indifferent to the government's plans, were so horrified by the damage to what is believed to be a sacred spot and spiritual power center that, led by people from the Cusco region, massive protests erupted. The government fell the next day -- the day on which it had expected to sign the final paperwork for the sale. Machu Picchu was not sold.
Mother llama with baby. There was a herd of about 14 llamas grazing in the ruins -- no need for lawn mowers!
Looking back towards the entrance/exit from inside the complex