Style: March 06, 2020

84 STYLE | travel
Temple of the High Priest of the Sun in the religious quarters.
150 were female, gave rise to the theory that it was a place
where young virgins were consecrated to Inti and chosen to
serve the Incas.
Also unclear is the reason the Incas abandoned Machu
Picchu in the 16th century – the Spaniards never found it,
so one theory is that the city may have been struck by an
epidemic such as smallpox that killed much of the population,
forcing others to flee. Or that the Inca Civil War waged
between the brothers Huascar and Atahualpa from 1527–1532
may have undermined the supply of food to the city.
The truth may never be known.
After four or five hours at the site I had more questions than
answers, but for me the mystery added to the mystique and
allure of Machu Picchu. In a world obsessed with knowing and
understanding all things, there is nothing more intriguing than
an unsolved puzzle.
Some believe Machu Picchu embodies spiritual or
metaphysical powers. There is certainly an undefinable aura
about the place that awakens a heightened sense of awareness
and inspires philosophical thoughts about time and space,
astrology, the cosmos.
I wanted to stand still and absorb the energy, the genius,
the magnetism and the inherent spirituality of the place. And
also grasp the reality of how it was to create those magnificent
structures, and to live there. I tried to envisage the city alive
with people 500 years ago, craftsmen manoeuvring and shaping
the massive rocks, priests worshipping at the Temple of the
Sun and large gatherings at the Sacred Plaza. My 21st-century
brain could not comprehend how such a city could have
been built without the aid of metal tools or the wheel. I can
understand how some believed it was the work of supernatural
forces.
As Bingham said: “In the variety of its charms and the power
of its spell, I know of no place in the world which can compare
with it.”
I could have spent days exploring Machu Picchu but there
are time limits on the admission tickets, a necessary measure to
cope with the vast numbers who visit the site. It’s just as well. I
might still be there.
As I closed my eyes that night, images of the day were on
constant replay inside my head.
An ancient stone city built on the most absurdly inaccessible
of sites surrounded by precipices and encircled by dark green
mountains rising abruptly from the valley floor; the wise old
face of Wayna Picchu, all-knowing, all-seeing, an enigma
shrouded in mist and mystery. I also thought of the kind
Chilean lady who enabled me to witness a solar eclipse... in the
presence of Inti, the Inca sun god.