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Last week my friend Jessica and I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, what an amazing experience! I’m pretty sure we had the best guide we could possibly ask for, he was full of humor, positive energy and was super kind. We were lead through the forest and into the jungle, finally ending at Machu Picchu. In four days and three nights of hiking, we were filled with knowledge of the Incan history.

The trail itself is made up of rocks of all sizes, hundreds of steps up and down, steps so big that we struggled with our super long Canadian legs. Often we wondered out loud, “How did such short people climb such tall stairs when even we find them to large?” The average Incan was about a meter and a half tall (four and a half to five feet). You can see evidence of this in Peru as most of the Indigenous people are about this height. Not only did this baffle our minds but also the speed and strength of a Sherpa! It was incredible! These men, some of which were in their sixties, were carrying bags that were sometimes half their size, and runny down these steps. Some of them wearing crocks, others wearing sandals, and a couple with shoes that appeared to be more fitting for the rocky terrain. It was amazing. One guy in our group tried on one of these bags and was shocked at how heavy it was. My spoiled Canadian mind struggles with the fact that being a Sherpa is an actual job! And I struggled with my 25lb backpack! What a wimp I am! Lol I will forever hear “Sherpa! Mountain side!” Words often shouted during our trek and we would all step aside to let the Sherpa’s run past.

Along the trail we explored many Incan sites, all used for different purposes. We came across warehouses where food would be stored for up to 40 or 50 years. Things like potatoes and tubers were dried and brought to these sites for storage in case of a bad harvest year, damage to their crops by other people, or whatever else may cause a shortage of food.

We visited a cave called “Temple of the Moon”, which is on the backside of Huaynapicchu, the tall mountain right beside Machu Picchu. This was a place where they would give thanks by sacrificing something such as an animal or a young woman. Knowledge from the moon was a sacred and powerful thing, ceremony and sacrifice on the full moon would grant wisdom and knowledge to the people. In Machu Picchu City they homed “chosen girls” from all over the valley, these girls were taught skills and were beautiful. If there was a need to create a bond between cultures, the best girl might be offered as a gift. These girls were also used in sacrifice. They would be drugged with a hallucinogenic drink, such as ayahuasca, so they wouldn’t be aware of what was happening, and hit in the back of the head to knock them out, laid on the sacrificial table and have their chest cut open. The heart would be pulled out, while the chosen one was still alive, and offered to the moon for the gifts they would receive.

We visited massive areas for agriculture, plateau upon plateau of carefully built flats for gardening. Constructed in such a way that if there was a storm the water would drain perfectly to keep their harvest well watered, but not wash out the mountain side built gardens. In Moray these plateaus were constructed as a “science lab” of sorts. There was soil/dirt found there from different areas all over the valley. The different levels were created as testing fields for the first GMO crops. Each level was affected by different climates and different soils. The idea was to take a plant, and over a few years, change it just enough so that they could farm it in different areas of the valley where it was needed, this way providing varieties of food in areas where it would otherwise not be available.

The Inca people were such an advanced and skilled people. The walls of their ruins are definitely something worth seeing. Especially the sacred areas because they were crafted with such skill and care that the stones fit perfectly together and are so smooth. I am amazed by these ancient people and am eager to learn more. I highly recommend visiting the Cusco Region and experiencing this for yourself. If you do I highly recommend you hire Chacras Travel Peru. Definitely the most amazing tour guide I have ever had.

Heidi-Marie

xoxo

Hiking the Inca Trail, Peru

HeidiMarie

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