For many years, I have been amazed to travel and learn more about the cultures of the world. Peru is one of the most fascinating places that I have ever traveled. It is a mix of the original people that lived here and the European people who came after Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca nation in 1532. As one of my friends here said, “we are mostly a mixed race now, but my heart will always be Inca.”
The Inca people now still live in the high Andes where the original capital of the Inca civilization was in the 1450 to the 1532. Cusco was the capital of the Inca civilization and it is where you must go if you are going to visit these beautiful people.
Cusco is a city of about 500,000 people and is 11,000 feet above sea level. It still has many of the narrow original streets and some of the original roads that were built by the Inca people. I would like to share with you some photos that were taken by one of my fellow travelers, Beth Garn this week on my trip to see and visit Machu Picchu a sacred city in the high Andes.
Here is a photo of Cusco. It is very much like Salt Lake City in that it is in a valley surrounded by high mountains.
The Inca people are not very tall. In this photo they are dressed in their native costumes wearing hats that are really a part of everyday life for the Inca people.
The Inca ladies are the ones that care for the flocks. We saw this little lady who was out one morning with her sheep.
Just like the American Indians, the Inca ladies boil plants to make the dyes they use to color the llama, alpaca, and sheep wool they use to weave the beautiful clothing they wear.
We visited the salt mine, where very salty water comes out of the mountain and then is put into pools to evaporate and then the salt is extracted and exported. A different family owns each pool and they come and process the salt from the pond.
The main attraction that people come from all over the world to see is Machu Picchu, the city that the Inca’s built in the Andes. It was never found or touched by the conquering Spaniards. It is believed that this was a sanctuary built in 1450 for the Inca Emperor Pachacuti who was their great leader. Centuries later, it is still loved and admired by the Inca descendants and the 3 million visitors who come here every year.
If you would like to see an incredible video of our trip go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk9J5xnTVMA
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