Peru: Machu Picchu

So, I promised you that on our stop to Peru we would visited three cultural sites, so today we will visit our third: Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is an extremely famous Incan site located in in the southern part of Peru. This site was discovered in 1911, and it is believed that it was built as an estate for the Incan emperor Pachacuti. This estate was built in the 1400s, before the Spanish conquest of Peru. The Spanish never found this site during their conquest, and so the site was amazingly well preserved allowing us to learn a lot about the Incans, their lifestyles, and their culture. In 1983, Macchu Picchu became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered by many to be one of the new seven wonders of the world.

We are very lucky to be able to visit this site, as there have been problems with tourism at Macchu Picchu. The increased number of tourists that want to visit this site has put extreme stress on the estate. Starting in July of 2011, restrictions were put on how many people could visit the site. Only 2,500 people are allowed to visited Macchu Picchu each day. Although companies have tried to do tours from the sky over Macchu Piccho as well, a no fly zone has been put in place over the ruins, preventing this from occurring.

To get to Macchu Picchu we must start at the city Cusco. From here, we can walk along the Incan Trail. This road was built by the Incans to lead to Macchu Picchu. We must walk through the Andes Mountain Range on this road to get to Macchu Picchu. This journey will likely take us two to four days to complete.

Now that we have arrived at Machu Picchu, we can enjoy the ruins of this great estate. The architecture of the Incans was quite remarkable for the time. Many of the buildings and walls built in Macchu Picchu were earthquake resistant. Although the Incans knew about the wheel and used it in the building of toys for children, it is believed that it was not used at all for engineering. Archaeologists still do not know how the Incas were able to move the huge stones that were used in the building of this estates, although some speculate that hundreds of men simply pushed them to where they needed to go.

There is a sacred district of Macchu Picchu that involved different temples and structures related to the religious beliefs of the Incas. The Incans were polytheistic, believing in many deities. This is the Temple of the Sun which was dedicated to Inti the sun god and greatest deity in Incan religion. The Incans believed in reincarnation. They believed that those who lived by Incan codes got to spend eternity in the warmth of the sun, while those that did not had to remain in the cold of the earth. The Incans performed human sacrifices and in particular child sacrifices. This was especially true during famine or after the death of an important person.

Along with religious sites, Macchu Picchu also includes buildings both for nobility and poorer people. Many buildings were simple storage buildings and simple houses for the lower class. However, there were also much grander houses where nobility and "wise persons" resided on this estate.

The last thing I want to look at in Macchu Picchu is the Intihuatana stone. This is one of the ritual stones in South America. Ritual stones were placed in such a way that they would point directly at the sun during the winter solstice. It is believed that these stones were built as clock or calendar so people could keep track of time based on astronomy. It is also thought that the Incans believed that this stone held the sun in place while it moved along its path in the sky. 

Peru: Sipán and Caral

Welcome to Peru! I hope you all enjoyed your flight. I must say, I'm excited to be here. I don't know as much about South America and its culture as I do about Europe and Asia, so I'm very excited to start learning a little bit about this part of the world!

Peru is located in western part of South America boarding the Pacific Ocean.  The capital and largest city of this country is Lima. This country was once home to several ancient cultures, making it rife with cultural sites we can visit. In the 16th century this country, along with much of South America, was conquered by the Spanish Empire. The country then gained its independence from Spain in 1821. The history of this country has affected the languages spoken. The official language of Peru is Spanish, influenced by the time it was under Spanish reign. However, many people there speak native languages, such as Quechua, that were spoken before the invasion of the Spanish.

So, as I said, one thing that makes Peru so exciting to visit is that the country has so much culture and history. There were several ancient cultures that lived in Peru, and some of the architecture from these cultures has been preserved. While there are numerous sites that are wonderful to visit, on this trip we are going to visit three: Sipán, Caral, and Machu Picchu.

The first archeological site that we'll visit on our trip is Sipán. Sipán is an archeological site of the Moche people. The Moche were an ancient civilization that resided in what is today northern Peru from around 100 AD to 800 AD. Sipán is mostly known for the tombs that were discovered there in 1987. What was remarkable about the discovery was the fact that the tombs had not been looted or found by others, and were therefore intact when discovered. The most famous tomb found here is that of the Lord of Sipán.

While here, we should also visit the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum. Many of the objects discovered in the tomb, as well as the remains of the Lord of Sipán and a few others have been set up in this museum so they can be preserved and viewed by others. By looking at the objects preserved all these years, we can learn a lot about the culture of the Moche people.


Our next cultural site in Peru is Caral. What makes Caral so unique to visit is the fact that it is the most ancient city in the Americas. This ancient city was settled in the Supe Valley by the Caral (or Norte Chico) civilization. It is believed that the Caral people resided in this city from around 2600 BC to 2000 BC and that at one point, more than 3,000 people resided in this area.  

What is also very interesting about Caral are the pyramids there. There is the Main Pyramids of Caral which is 60ft tall. There are also 19 smaller pyramids that have been found in the area of the Supe Valley and it is believed that these were built by the Caral civilization as well. It is interesting to note that the existance of this civilzation and the building of these pyramids occured around the same time in Egypt.

Many other things have been discovered that give us insight into how this ancient civilization went about day to day life. Temples and houses have been found as well as musical instruments, jewelery and day to day household objects. It appears that the Caral people had a complex, developed civilization. Although all of these artifacts have been found, there have been no weapons, mutilated bodies, or other signs of war or violence discovered. It appears that the Caral people were a peaceful people.

India: Udaipur

Okay, so I hope our trip to India has been wonderful so far! While I'm sad that we have to leave after today, I have saved a wonderful place for us to explore for our last day. Today, I would like to spend some time in Udaipur. Udaipur, which is also known as the "City of Lakes" is a beautiful city consisting of natural beauty and gorgeous man made structures. Udaipur used to be the capital of the kingdom of Mewar. Mewar was an important kingdom in India which had several different dynasties, the last one of which did not end until 1971. People love visiting Udaipur while visiting India. In 2009, it was rated the top city by Travel and Leisure in their "World's Best" awards. I'm sure we will have a wonderful time exploring this city!

 

First, let's visit the City Palace which is a large palace complex. Construction for this complex began in 1559 and was worked on and added on to for the next 300 years. The complex consists of several palaces that are absolutely gorgeous. In fact, two of the old palaces have been converted into hotels. There are beautiful natural views from this complex as well, as it was built on top of a hill.





Another building we must see while in Udaipur is the Bagore Ki Haveli. A haveli is a term used mainly in India and Pakistan that describes a mansion with architectural and historical significance. The Bagore Ki Haveli was built in the late 18th century by Chand Badwa, prime minister of Mewer. This beautiful place has over 100 rooms, courtyards, and terraces. It is decorated beautifully with paintings, artwork, and personal items of the royal families. Exploring this beautiful palace will give us great insight into the way royal life was lived during this time period in India.

Before we leave this beautiful city, we should take a boat rid on Lake Pichola. Lake Pichola is another beautiful part of Udaipur. The lake is actually a man made, freshwater lake constructed in 1362. This lake, like the other man made lakes in Udaipur, was created as a water source for drinking water and irrigation. Today, boat rides are offered on Lake Pichola. There are a few islands on the lake, and one of those is Jag Mandir. Our boat will stop at this island and allow us to explore another palace that is an important part of Udairpur, the Jag Mandir Palace. 

 Construction of the Jag Mandir Palace began in 1551. It was used for years by royal families as a vacation home. I don't know about you, but I certainly wish I could vacation in a palace as beautiful as this! Although great for vacationing, the palace was not always used for fun and recreation. On two different occasions, the palace served as a place of refuge for asylum seekers.




Once again, I am very sad to be leaving a beautiful country behind us without getting to see all of the beauty and culture it has to offer. I think we will find this true of all the countries we visit; there is never enough time to see everything we want to see. But, we must move on, so let hop on our plane and go explore our next destination: Peru!