Encuentro de escritores peruanos (Cusco - Machu Picchu)
Some friends and I decided to climb Huayna Picchu!
This was the capital of the Incan Empire before 1400 (our days). The mountain behind the city is Huayna Picchu, it is one of the higest places in the area.
The silence among us is palpable. It is 6 am and we are perched on a high ledge at Peru's greatest attraction, Machu Picchu. The Lost City of the Incas, located at an altitude of 2,400 metres, has us lost in deep thought. Why was the city built in a remote mountain location? What was its precise function? How did it remain a secret during 300 years of Spanish rule? Dawn dissipates the clouds hovering over the stony ruins and brings the city into grand focus. Cameras click, the spell is broken. Peru draws you within its magnetic field like few places in the world. You can feel the vibes of an ancient land, here at Machu Picchu in the High Andes, at the magnificent Sacred Valley near Cuzco, at coastal Nasca which has huge, baffling drawings in the desert. The early Peruvians' profound knowledge of the elements had endowed them with strong mystical attitudes. The Incas, who claimed to be direct descendants of the sun, represented the final, splendid phase of a 3000-year-old culture.
Located along the Pacific coast of South America, Peru is bordered by Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east and Chile to the south. Most tourists crisscross the land by local airlines, treading the vestiges of ancient civilizations. I had a few days to visit the highlights: Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and Arequipa. My journey, from the 21st century to the 16th century, becomes a heady adventure when I put myselve in the hands of the director film and writer Carlos Paz.
This was the capital of the Incan Empire before 1400 (our days). The mountain behind the city is Huayna Picchu, it is one of the higest places in the area.
The silence among us is palpable. It is 6 am and we are perched on a high ledge at Peru's greatest attraction, Machu Picchu. The Lost City of the Incas, located at an altitude of 2,400 metres, has us lost in deep thought. Why was the city built in a remote mountain location? What was its precise function? How did it remain a secret during 300 years of Spanish rule? Dawn dissipates the clouds hovering over the stony ruins and brings the city into grand focus. Cameras click, the spell is broken. Peru draws you within its magnetic field like few places in the world. You can feel the vibes of an ancient land, here at Machu Picchu in the High Andes, at the magnificent Sacred Valley near Cuzco, at coastal Nasca which has huge, baffling drawings in the desert. The early Peruvians' profound knowledge of the elements had endowed them with strong mystical attitudes. The Incas, who claimed to be direct descendants of the sun, represented the final, splendid phase of a 3000-year-old culture.
Located along the Pacific coast of South America, Peru is bordered by Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east and Chile to the south. Most tourists crisscross the land by local airlines, treading the vestiges of ancient civilizations. I had a few days to visit the highlights: Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and Arequipa. My journey, from the 21st century to the 16th century, becomes a heady adventure when I put myselve in the hands of the director film and writer Carlos Paz.
posted by Ericka Ghersi @ 10:16 PM
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