Exploring Machu Picchu (Part III)

Unfortunately we were running out of time and we still hadn’t even explored the city yet! We entered through the main stone gate and we could immediately feel the ancient and powerful energy of the giant stones surrounding us. The Incans somehow were able to carve and move these massive stones and then piece them together perfectly like a puzzle. Furthermore, their architecture honored and highlighted the power of the existing stones, so many times the structures were built around or incorporated the natural stones of the mountain. As I mentioned before, it is this harmony and respect for the power of nature that makes this place so awe-inspiring. We explored the temples, we found the stone that was carved to be a sundial of sorts to determine the time of year to plant the crops and perform religious ceremonies and we ducked into rooms and alleyways.The city is a maze of stairs, terraces, walls and windows that were all intentionally engineered and created for some special purpose. One of the most remarkable things about the city is that the drainage system is was so perfectly designed that it still works today and we say the little streams of water running throughout the streets. We also came across an incredible rock face that was believed to look like a condor (just like in Ollanta). The condor was the spirit animal of the sky world for the Incans.

Every view and every aspect of the city is stunning, so we found ourselves alongside the rest of the tourists snapping pictures left and right. However, because its not tourist season and it was raining, there were definitely a lot less tourists than I expected. At once point, Bekah followed a path under a door and around a corner. There she found a little pedestal or rock podium that faced out to the mountains. She stepped up on to it, stretched out her arms and closed her eyes. Once again, she felt that strong spiritual energy pulsing through her. The city may have been abandoned, but there is something very powerful and magical that lives on in this sacred place that can only be experienced when feeling the ancient stones beneath your feet and the mist caressing your face. When humans and nature exist harmoniously together, each accentuating the beauty of each other, there is something sublime and deeply spiritual that occurs. I have never felt this so strongly as I did when I was at Machu Picchu.