CUZCO-THE NEW SPIRITUAL CENTER OF THE WORLD

PACHACUTI- THE VISIONARY INCA EMPEROR

SAKSAYWAMAN FORTRESS W/ 200 TON BOULDERS

First of 4 blogs on Peru: Click on pic to enlarge
Pachacuti (Earthshaker) the formidable Emperor of the Incas stared down at Cuzco from Saksaywaman ("sexy women"easier to say  and remember) his fortress in the sky.   NO one would dare invade his kingdom once they saw this magnificent site. Any invaders from the south would simply look upon these massive stones and realize they have already been beaten. Pachacuti and his son Tupac Inca, with a mere 100,000 Incas, began conquering local tribes in 1400s and would be the rulers of more than 10 million Peruvians. The massive 2,500 mile Inca Empire, with over 24,000 miles of interconnecting highways, ranged from Quito, Ecuador to Santiago Chile.
How..... might u ask, did Francisco Pizarro bring down this empire with a mere 162 conquistadors in 1532!  Still to this day and unmatched military conquest.

BEST ALPACA- YUMMY

WELCOME TO CUZCO

COCA LEAVES!

CUZCO:  Heather, my daughter, and I were on a Peruvian adventure, first stop- Cuzco. Cuzco is a very safe city sitting on the side of a mountain, and is a great introduction to Peru's culture, history and a good way to prepare for Machu Picchu. Full of life, culture, salsa dancing, and exquisite food- such as: the Alpaca, the scrumptious Quinoa soups, and the local favorite, Cuy, guinea pig.  At 11,300' this old Inca capital is the perfect place to explore the Sacred Valley and prepare one for the altitude of any trek in the Andes. The myriad of narrow streets were built by the Spanish on top of the Inca construction, and have a collection of shops and restaurants to satisfy any diet. Wondering.... there is no place better, one minute u are submersed in the massive market place at San Pedro tasting the best fruit shakes ever made, the next meandering through the coca museum learning the many uses of coca leaves.

SMOOTHIES AT SAN PEDRO MARKET

COCA LEAVES- ANALGESIC
FOR NOBLE HEAD WRAPS

LOCAL FLAVOR AT SAN BLAS PLAZA

BEST CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE
EVER AT GREEN PT. RESTAURANT

SACRED VALLEY

HEATHER EXPLORING PISAC

MARKETPLACE AT PISAC

A drop to 9,000 ' to the rich soil and agricultural region is the Sacred Valley, an hour and half outside Cuzco.  There are several Inca ruins worth visiting including the city of Piscac at one end of the valley and is worth a a full day of exploration and Oilantaytambo in the middle of the valley that is full of Inca tradition. Along a cobblestone street u may occasionally see a visiting highlander in their traditional dress, they are considered a direct decedent of the Incas. The Incas were full of ingenuity, the Moray scientific area is a terraced region that many scientist believed was a site used to test different seed germination and growth. Each terraced area has been found to have a temperature variance of a few degrees, allowing to test the temperature tolerances of different crops, and in turn used these to feed their entire dynasty-nobody went hungry, kind of like a modern welfare system. The salt ponds are a natural geological phenomenon, and was a highly protected area for its valuable salt resources coming out of a rock aquifer.

MORAY SCIENTIFIC AREA
W/ TERRACES- 500' DEEP

NATURAL SALT PONDS

Oilantaytambo with its quaint Inca streets and shops has a fascinating Inca ruin. Carved on the side of mountain, is the image of their God: "Apu tecsi illa pacha"- the mountain spirit and protector. Along the side of Apu are the Incas storage silos, another engineering feat that helps keep the food fresh with the cooler air and winds that blow through.

APU'S IMAGE-NOTICE THE
CROWN AND BEARD

Francisco Pizarro: In my opinion doesn't even deserve a picture at this point. The leader of the ruthless Spanish conquistadors, (who were actually untrained fighters, more entrepreneurs with prospect of vast wealth driving them) pillaged the Inca Empire in search of gold. So how did he take down the Inca empire with his 168 soldiers,  he had 4 things going his way: 1. There was a civil war between the 2 Inca rulers of the time- Huascar and Atahualpa- in which Atahulapa proved to be the stronger brother. 2. Smallpox, which had been introduced by Columbus and his band of renown, had slowly spread through Mexico, also setting up the demise of the Aztecs by Cortez. 3.  They brought horses and swords, and a few canons- none of which the Incas had seen before. 4. And to top it off he looked like their God (and took full advantage), "Apu"- see image-- with a his beard. Once he trapped Atahulapa and imprisoned him, he slowly dismantled his authority over the empire-- a great book to read- The Last Days of the Incas" by Kim Macquarrie has the chronology of their fall.

CUZSCO THE SPIRITUAL CENTER:  The so called psychedelic magical vine of AYAHUASCA is nowadays carefully administered by Shamans to guide one through a vision quest to help their soul. Back in the day, the Amazonian indians would use this plant in ceremonies to see their leopard gods. I almost tried it back in 1991, but after the guide told me on a previous trek a traveler jumped off a bridge thinking he could fly I thought better. After all we have zip lines now! Stay tuned for part 2- Moonstone Trek--15,100' adventure through the Andes, &  will Heather stricken with illness, and passed out in her bed in Cuzco, be able to traverse the mighty Andes??