Cuzco is by far the most beautiful Peruvian city that we visited. It is the heart of the Inca empire, replete with history, architecture, and natural beauty. We stayed at a hotel on this square, The Corregidor, so we were close to the night life, the restaurants and the shops. And yes, it did rain a few times.

From Cuzco, Machu Picchu is about 4 hours away on a train--the only ground transportation available. This train ride has to be among the most beautiful in the world, revealing one breathtakingly gorgeous scene after another. Those backpackers who hike the Inca Trail get off at kilometer 88, and those who want to hike the last 1/3 of the trail get off at kilometer 104, while everyone else rides all the way to Aguas Calientes.

Below are the train tracks in Aquas Caliente at the foot of Machu Picchu. Sadly, there was a mud slide on the tracks about two kilometers from the town that destroyed two houses killing some villagers several days before our visit. This necessitated our walking the last several kilometers, around the mud slide and the wreckage of the houses. Mud slides are fairly common here, but since tourism is the only source of revenue for the people of Aguas Caliente, they set about cleaning up and carrying on as best they can under the circumstances.

There are lots of restaurants in Aguas Calientes; most of them have a sidewalk presence in the daytime. Though it is high in the mountains, it is comfortably warm in midday.

Here, we stayed at a delightful posada halfway up a mountain, and had this spectacular view of Machu Picchu.

After we arrived in Aguas Calientes, about noon, we checked into our hotel, ate lunch, and then caught a bus to Machu Picchu to be there about the time most tourists would be leaving. Below is the road from Aguas Calientes to the entrance to Machu Picchu...it was hairpins the whole way, but the only other traffic on the road was more buses....many many that drive back and forth on this road all day every day. We at first held our breath, then decided that the drivers know their jobs, so we relaxed and enjoyed the vistas.

Below, the Inca Trail is seen as it emerges from the forest in the background. This was the only route to the sacred site during the period of the Inca Empire, and the favored route into the ruins by many backpackers.

As you enter the city from the Inca Trail, this is the breathtaking view....Wayna Picchu as the backdrop to the ruins.

a similar view of the sacred city in the afternoon sun....

The city was probably used as a religious retreat for the royal family and their guests. It is a city with 16 sectors of about 200 living quarters, many temples for different occasions, agricultural terraces and grazing land for animals, fresh water fountains and drainage. It was built over a period of 100 years or more starting in the mid 15th century, and seemed to be a work in progress when the Inca empire crumbled in the mid 16th century. The city was apparently abandoned before the Spanish arrived in this area, and it was not rediscovered until the early 20th century by Hiram Bingham.

Below is an early morning view--the mist-shrouded Wayna Picchu.

The sacred city is set on a plateau between two mountains, Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu. Surrounding the ruins is the Urubamba River, the most sacred of the Inca rivers.

The hut below is called the watchman's hut, though historians can only guess the probable function of the various buildings and spaces. Only a few of the habitations and buildings have been covered with thatch roofs; most of the ruins are exactly as Bingham found them.

Terraces surround the site on three sides. The agriculture sectors were used to grow quinoa, vegetables and fruits for the inhabitants of the sacred city, and were built so well that even over the centuries they have not suffered from erosion or decay.

A dry moat assists with drainage.

Several architectural features unique to the Incas are seen in Machu Picchu and other Inca ruins. First, the walls are constructed from stone that was cut, we think, by finding natural faults and driving a wedge into the fault.

There is no mortar in these or any Inca walls....they are constructed at slight angles to give them more strength. There are also key stones, such as the large one above, which ties together the layers of stone in this wall.

Another feature of the walls is that their foundations are several feet or more below ground.

The walls of the temples and living quarters stand much as they were in the 15th century. Only the roofs, probably thatch, are missing. Since the Incas had no written language, we have no records to assist us in understanding the details of construction or use.

The gravity-fed water system is another amazing engineering fete. Fresh water is delivered via a 750 meter trough from a mountain spring. The trough is precisely the correct depth and width to promote a constant flow without overflowing or drying up. There are sixteen levels where the water is delivered to little bath or waterfall, the first (therefore most pure) being at the royal family residence (below).

Another view of the royal well....

One of the most stunning architectural elements at Machu Picchu is the use of in situ rocks. They have been carved or are used as they existed originally in the temples and around the grounds. Below is a carving that mirrors the view of Wayna Picchu and the surrounding peaks.

Funerary Rock, below, is situated close to what seemed to have been burial grounds. Perhaps it was used to lay out the corpse for drying before mummification, or as a bier for the wake. Some believe it was for ritual sacrifices. We can only guess.

And this is (part of) the Temple of the Condor,
this in situ stone suggesting the wing of the condor.
The temple incorporates several rocks to form the condor.

The principal temple (center) also incorporates in situ stones that form the alter. In the distance at the highest elevation, the Intiwatana also uses such a stone.

In the foreground is the rock quarry used to store building rocks for future growth. It is thought that the building of the sacred city was still in progress when the Spanish conquest put an end to the Inca Empire.

Taken from Sacred Rock, the Urubamba river valley....

On our way to Wayna Picchu...