Over Machu Picchu

It could be in your favorite cafe, at work, or walking with friends at the university. It doesn´t matter where you heard about Peru; the name Machu Picchu must have been on those talks. Machu Picchu (Old Mountain) is the most important touristic site of Peru. Located deep into the mountain forest, it has been visited by millions since its discovery by Hiram Bingham in 1911. But it was just on the last few years that Machu Picchu had become an icon in the traveler´s world. The New Seven Wonders of The World was one, among other reasons ,for that. But it doesn´t matter what your friends could have told you about Machu Picchu. The experience of being there, just on time to see the sun rising for a new day behind the mist of Machu Picchu, is unique and unforgettable. When you finally get there, after coming by train, taxi or bus, fatigue will be gone, erased by the sight of a huge landscape that can left you breathless. You´ll find yourself surrounded by nature, your senses will get overdosed by light, pure air, color… and silence. The amazing silence of Machu Picchu. Ancient, gigantic rocks everywhere, taken as bases for some great architectural design master. They were there, lying for centuries, perfectly cut, sharp, and polished by some sophisticated technique no one could imitate exactly today. There are no holes between them. Not even a knife could break through them. The symbol of human adaptation to nature. The opposite of our civilization. As far as your sight fails to get details: ruins everywhere. Ruins going down the hills of Machu Picchu or climbing the most impossible angles right to the sky, fading behind the forest and reappearing as an aqueduct that still takes crystal water hundreds of meters down, right to the Urubamba river. But, what is Machu Picchu? Which is the source of this magic attraction that makes people around the world dying to visit Machu Picchu as the goal of their lives? Machu Picchu is a remaining witness of the ancient, great past of Peru, when the Inca´s Empire ruled in all the Andean Region. Machu Picchu is located in the central Andes of Peru, 2,400 meters over the sea level and near the city of Cuzco, center of the Inca´s Empire. Machu Picchu has been built in the 15th century, but the reasons for its construction are obscure. Some archaeologists said it was a rest place, others believed it was a fortress. But they all agree that Machu Picchu was used as a refuge for the people, hiding from the spanish conquerors. And it worked; the invaders never found Machu Picchu. This astonishing building and knowledge force made the Incas one of the great civilization of the ancient world, equal by experts to Egyptians, Mayas and Babylonians. They conquered many other peoples. From Colombia in the north, to Chile in the South: 2 million square kilometers. Only this kind of people could have been capable of building a wonder like Machu Picchu. Even some people believe Machu Picchu ruins hide mystical powers. They think the whole world energy converges there, turning Machu Picchu a great energy center, where you can cure yourself from negativity and connect to other dimensions. At least, one thing is true: Machu Picchu is an extraordinary place to relax, to meditate and find yourself far from the noise, contamination and stress of the modern society. In Machu Picchu you could also find The Intihuatana, The Three Windows, The Sacred Square, The Aqueduct or The Temple of the Sun. All of them are rooms or places were different rituals took place, revealing the beliefs and the advanced knowledge of this people in cosmology and physics. If you´re looking for wildlife and vegetation, the sanctuary of Machu Picchu offers you one of the biggest and exotic variety of species of the world. With an idyllic weather as framework, colorful orchids, rare birds like the cock-of-the-rock (gallito de las rocas), a precious species for birdwatchers, or even the elusive spectacled bear are waiting for you deep inside Machu Picchu. Because of its importance for the culture and history of the region, Machu Picchu became a powerful reason of pride for peruvians. Pride about their past, the levels of technology, culture, and the social and military organization that the Incas achieved. All of them written between the rocks of Machu Picchu. Now you have reached the deeper zone of Machu Picchu. Right in front of you, a huge and curiously shaped rock blocks the forest view. You suddenly realized that its shape is similar to the first sight that welcomed you at the beginning. You think its the end of the visit, but then you manage to pass the rock, and a whole new mountain appears: it´s the Huayna Picchu. Connected with the main mountain by a thin piece of rock, Huayna Picchu invites you to climb it. It´s a risky decision, would you take it or leave it? Up there, the glory waits for you. At the top, a 360° panoramic of the mountain forest, with Machu Picchu ruins at the bottom, is the final reward. Four hundred meters down, the Urubamba river roars. The day is ending, you are exhausted and your mind is full of shapes, wonders and legacy. You don´t want to leave Machu Picchu. You won´t: Machu Picchu lives inside you. A world that has been lives now in your mind, your spirit, you soul. Take a trip to Machu Picchu: you´ll get the journey of your life.