Just some of the huge stones used to build the Sacsayhuaman fortress |
The Royals Baths of Tambomachay , with still running fountains |
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Images : Diego Delso / Wikimedia , Aufgang / Wikimedia , B Casterline / Wikimedia , Martin St Amant / Wikimedia , David Stanley / Wikimedia & courtesy Scott McIvor , Brooklyn Museum |
On the afternoon of our arrival , we enjoyed a brief , guided sightseeing tour of the city . Its heart is the Plaza de Armas , surrounded by twisted , cobbled streets , little changed over centuries , and colonial arcades . Several sides of the pedestrian alleyways leading into the square boast Inca walls . On the northeastern side is the cathedral , fronted by a large flight of stairs and flanked by two churches . The cathedral houses one of the city ’ s greatest repositories of colonial art , including the oldest surviving painting in Cusco , which shows the entire city during an earthquake in 1650 . We also visited the Santo Domingo Monastery and one of the most important temples of the Inca Empire , Oorikancha .
Incan Marvels
The following day , I took an early morning run to acclimate . Almost immediately , I noted a shortness of breath and so adjusted my pace to allow myself to become accustomed to the altitude . I soon felt recovered after my long flights over the previous few days . After that , we enjoyed a morning visit to the most important archaeological site surrounding Cusco : The fortress and temple of Sacsayhuaman ( the tourist name is pronounced “ sexy woman ”), perched on a hillside overlooking the city . Gigantic stones , some weighing up to 125 tonnes , had been carved into huge blocks that fitted together with extraordinary
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Urubamba is known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas |
precision , and it was interesting to note the outlines of various animals and birds on these rocks .
This immense ruin of both religious and military significance means “ satisfied falcon .” Today , only about 20 % of the original structure is visible , as the Spaniards tore down many walls and used the blocks to build their own houses . The result is that only the largest and most impressive rocks were left , those forming the battlements . The site comprises three different areas , the most striking being the magnificent three-tiered zig-zag fortifications . Incredibly , one stone there weighs more than 300 tonnes . The Incas envisaged Cusco in the shape of a puma , with Sacsayhuaman as the head , and 22 zig-zagged walls as the teeth of the puma .
Part of the imposing fortress overlooking Ollantaytambo
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The rest of our tour included visits to the shrine of Kenko , and to the Royal Baths of Tambomachay , a beautiful ceremonial bath adorned with waterfalls that continue to flow centuries later . We passed through the village of Yuncaypata , and the Temple of the Moon . The latter , made up of stone masonry and open-face shallow caves , is an Incan ceremonial temple dating back 1500 years .
More Sightseeing
The following day , we departed Cusco and enjoyed a scenic drive to Urubamba , the “ Sacred Valley of the Incas .” About 70km from Cusco , we visited Ollantaytambo , which is dominated by a massive Inca fortress on the hills above the town , which is considered one of the best surviving examples of an Inca town . It boasts narrow , cobblestone streets and a steep terrace that guards the Inca complex , with most of its buildings sitting upon Incan walls , and the street plan is still the original one laid out by its builders .
The stonework , streets , family courtyards and water system of Ollantaytambo are exactly as they were built in Incan times . The agricultural terraces create small tiers of fertile land on very steep slopes . In addition to being a fortress , it was also a temple , which is at the top of the terracing . The stone was quarried from a mountainside 6km away , high above the Rio ( river ) Urubamba , and it was a stupendous feat to transport the huge stones , which must have involved the sweat and blood of thousands of people .
We enjoyed splendid views of the Cordillera Urubamba to the ancient town of Chinchero at 4000m altitude , where we stopped to visit a highland home and observe a demonstration of the traditional weaving process . In the afternoon , we had an acclimatisation run , passing through the salt mines of Maras and finishing down a scenic trail leading to the Urubamba River . That was a much easier run than my effort the previous morning , and I didn ’ t feel any adverse effects of being at that altitude . It also felt enjoyable to be on a trail in the countryside , compared to running in the city .
Final Preparation
We overnighted in a hotel in the town of Yucay , and the next day , a bus took us to the trailhead at Piscacucho at “ Kilometre 82 ,” the start of the Inca Trail itself . We hiked for 6km to “ Kilometre 88 ,” where we entered the Machu Picchu Sanctuary National Park , and then hiked a further 2km to our campsite that evening at Llactapata (“ Town on the Hillside ”) at a height of 2500m . It was an easy , relaxed hike , but the next day , we would be running our marathon .
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