domingo, 11 de diciembre de 2011

Otros atractivos turísticos cerca a Machu Picchu

Mercado de Pisaq 

Ubicado en Pisaq a 30 km. De Cuzco, es uno de los mercados de artesanía más grande del Perú.


El Mercado de Pisaq es un mercado dominical (aunque funciona casi diario), es un punto de encuentro de los pobladores de las comunidades locales; quienes vienen a  presenciar la misa en quechua, socializar y a vender o intercambiar mercancías.
Pisaq, al igual que otros poblados fue una ciudad española donde se fusionaron tradiciones europeas con Incas que permanece en pie hasta hoy desde el día de su fundación en el siglo 16. Con el tiempo Pisaq se ha convertido en un importante centro de producción artesanal y ha alcanzado la fama de tener uno de los mercados artesanales más grandes de Latinoamérica.




Ciudadela de Pisaq


De mayor extensión que Machu Picchu y a la vez tan impresionante como esta, Pisaq fue una ciudadela Inca formada por 6 áreas diferentes ubicadas al pie de las montañas y con una vista privilegiada al Valle Sagrado. Incluye un sistema de caminos, acueductos, muros Incas, andenería y portales de piedra.




Aquí disfrutará de una impresionante caminata, lo llevaremos hasta la cima de la colina donde está ubicada la ciudadela y podrá explorar los diferentes complejos arquitectónicos y notar las diferencias de estilo entre unos y otros además de sorprendentes obras de ingeniería y arquitectura. Su transporte lo estará esperando en la Plaza de Armas de Pisaq, para cuando baje a través del sistema de terrazas a un extremo de la ciudadela. Realmente vale la pena dedicar 2 a 3 horas para esta visita.




Urubamba


Esta ciudad es posiblemente el área urbana más importante del Valle Sagrado. Sus habitantes son en su mayoría agricultores y comerciantes que se dedican al cultivo y venta principalmente de maíz además de otros productos agrícolas. Sin embargo en los últimos años Urubamba se ha convertido en un pueblo con mucho comercio y negocios turísticos como hoteles, restaurantes, discotecas, deportes de aventura, entre otros, trayendo prosperidad a la ciudad sin trastocar mucho su espíritu rural.





Ollantaytambo




La única ciudad Inca donde muchos de sus habitantes aún viven en las antiguas edificaciones Incas que datan de siglos atrás.

Aquí podrá apreciar calles y viviendas Incas casi intactas, un gran templo edificado con enormes piedras en un estilo arquitectónico muy fino y una especie de santuario con canales y caídas de agua. Ollantayatambo tiene también su estación de tren donde se puede partir a Machu Picchu en vez de hacerlo desde Cusco.



Es considerada una obra monumental de la arquitectura incaica. Es la única ciudad del incanato en el Perú aún habitada. En sus palacios viven los descendientes de las casas nobles cusqueñas. Los patios mantienen su arquitectura original.





Aguas Calientes




Por su localización geográfica (a escasos 30 minutos en autobús de Machu Picchu) es el lugar por el que llegan en tren desde la ciudad imperial aquellas personas que desean visitar las ruinas por lo que el desarrollo de su infraestructura turística y hotelera ha sido notable, sacando ventaja de las montañas y verdosos paisajes de la zona. 


Entre sus atractivos turísticos más importantes se encuentran los baños termales situados a 800 m del pueblo a los que se les atribuyen propiedades medicinales y que dan nombre al mismo. 




Awanacancha


Es una granja de camélidos sudamericanos donde podemos apreciar llamas, alpacas, vicuñas y guanacos de distintas razas; se ubica en el camino a Pisaq en un antiguo campo agrícola de tiempos incaicos que ha sido restaurado y habilitado para la crianza y exhibición de estos camélidos.

Dentro del Awanakancha existe una exhibición permanente de tejidos en alpaca donde familias locales hacen demostraciones de todo el proceso de confección textil, desde la esquila de los auquénidos, pasando por el lavado de la lana, el hilado, teñido de las fibras hasta el acabado final de las piezas. Puede además aprovechar de adquirir prendas de alpaca de gran calidad en la tienda ubicada en el mismo lugar.



Chinchero



Ubicada a 30 km. al Noroeste de Cusco en la cima de una meseta a 3650 m. de altura.

Chinchero fue uno de los asentamientos Incas y coloniales mas grandes de la zona y en la actualidad aún se pueden apreciar muestras de ambas arquitecturas, como andenes Incas, restos arqueológicos, la Plaza de Armas y la iglesia del siglo 26, además de un mercado artesanal dominical especializado principalmente en textiles, donde tendrá la oportunidad de interactuar con familias dedicadas al ancestral arte de la textilería. 



Moray


Es un conjunto de terrazas en forma de círculos concentricos donde se cree que los Incas realizaban experimentos agrícolas, debido a las condiciones especiales del lugar, tales como diferentes tipos de tierra, vientos, humedad, clima y abastecimiento de agua distintos en cada una de las terrazas. Debido a la gran diversidad de flora y fauna, la adaptación de especies en distintas zonas era un reto constante para los antiguos peruanos.

En las cercanías de Moray se han encontrado varios almacenes con excelentes condiciones de ventilación y ambientes extremadamente secos que demuestran como los antiguos peruanos usaban estos sitios a manera de congeladores para preservar comida por largos períodos de tiempo. Esta es una de las técnicas conocidas más antiguas para la preservación de alimentos.


Salinas de Maras

Son unas salineras provenientes de brotes de agua salada subterránea que es almacenada en varios reservorios individuales donde es puesta a secar para ser posteriormente extraída por pobladores locales. 






domingo, 28 de agosto de 2011

Machu Picchu Travel Information (VERSIÓN EN INGLES)


Machu Picchu

machupicchu


LOCATION
The Machupicchu archaeological complex is located in the department of Cusco, in the Urubamba province and district of Machupicchu. It is perched on the eastern slopes of the Vilcanota mountain range, a chain of mountains curtailed by the Apurimac and Urubamba Rivers. At latitude 13º7' South and longitude 72035' West of the Greenwich Meridian, Machupicchu is located at a height of 2,350 meters above sea level (main square).


CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT
It is located in a subtropical zone, or dense wood, the reason why the climate is mild, warm and damp, with an average year-round temperature of 130C during the day. One can perceive two distinct seasons during the year: the rainy season from November to March, which is a time of heavy rains. Visitors are advised to dress accordingly during this season. The dry season from April to October brings on higher temperatures.


FLORA AND FAUNA
orquideaBoth are abundant and varied. Typical plant life in the historic reserve of Machupicchu includes pisonayes, q'eofias, alisos, puya palm trees, ferns and more than 90 species of orchids.
The fauna in the reserve includes the spectacled bear, cock-of-the-rocks or "tunqui", tankas, wildcats and an impressive variety of butterflies and insects unique in the region.
The lie of the land, the natural surroundings and the strategic location of Machupicchu lend this monument a fusion of beauty, harmony and balance between the work of the ancient Peruvians and the whims of nature.

HISTORY

history
One cannot pinpoint the first to populate these lands, as it was a time of occupation rather than foundations. Machupicchu was visited by explorers well before Hiram Bingham, although with little success. These included Antonio Raymondi, the Count of Sartiges and Charles Wiener. Other visits included one in July 1909 by the Santander brothers, whose inscription can be found carved into the base of the Temple of the Sun. At the same time, Peruvian explorers Enrique Palma, Augustin Lizárraga and Gavino Sánchez arrived at the citadel by the route of San Miguel.
The railway line runs parallel to the river in winding loops that follow the riverbed. From here one can seethe typical vegetation of the upper jungle, which climbs up to the top of the steep mountain range that forms the Urubamba Canyon. The train passes through the Chilca train station from where one can see the snowcapped peak called "Veronica". With a height of 5,750 meters above sea level, it is the highest peak in the Urubamba range. The train stops at Kilometer 88, where the Inca Trail begins.

The train then continues on its way, passing through the station of Pampacahua and the town of Aguas Calientes, located at Kilometer 110. When the train line comes up against a wall of imposing granite mountains, it then plunges into two tunnels before arriving at the station of Puente Ruinas. From here, minibuses take the travelers up 8 kilometers of roads up to the Tourist Hotel. The entry control to the Inca citadel is done near the hotel.


GUIDED TOURS
The guided tour of Machupicchu starts on a path that leads from the bus terminal. The path, built on purpose for tourism, enters the citadel in the section that houses a cluster of rooms near the outer wall. The path continues through a terrace to gain access to the agricultural zone before arriving at the urban area.


ARCHITECTURE
arquitecturaThe citadel is divided into two sectors: the agricultural (terracing) and the urban, where there are main squares, temples, palaces, storehouses, workshops, stairways, cables and water fountains which run through both sectors, which measure 20 and 10 hectares respectively.
It is clear that the architectural design was based on Cusco, the capital of the Inca empire. Machupicchu was built according to its natural surroundings, with its constructions following the natural curves and dips and rises in the land.
.
The archaeological excavation that took place after Bingham discovered the ruins showed the land was previously given granite foundations with little surrounding soil.
The agricultural and urban sectors are split by a dry ditch, the result of a geographic fault line.
The following chapters describe the most important constructions in each sector.


THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

The sector is surrounded by a series of terraces of different types and sizes which had two main functions: to grow crops and halt the erosion caused by the rains. The most eye-catching terraces lie at the entrance to the citadel. They begin at the cluster of rooms located at the entrance and climb up to the top of the mountain until they stop at a large rectangular room.It is clear that the upper terraces at the entrance were meant for agricultural purposes as they have raised steps and are much wider. The lower terraces, meanwhile, have different shapes because they were built as foundations.
There are no canals as they were not necessary, as the constant rains and ever-present humidity allowed the plants to grow without irrigation. The only water channel that flows through the urban sector crosses through the central terrace.
In the agricultural sector there are five rooms that look like Chincheros and Ollantaytambo storerooms.


THE CONTROL GATE

This is made up of a three-walled room with a view with several windows, which can be found in front of the main gateway. There is a go panorama from here of the agricultural and urban sectors and the surrounding landscape. It is a good idea to take photos from this angle as it gives the visitor a good view of the complex.





THE UPPER CEMETERY AND RITUAL STONES
gate

In every Inca city, the dead were buried on the outskirts of the town, which is where in this case Cusco archaeologists found human remains. In the upper part, they also found sculpted stones that belong to the area, which indicated the Incas used the stones to make offerings to their gods. On this same piece of ground lies a granite boulder sculpted with steps. But the most striking feature is that it is pierced with a ring, the purpose of which is unknown. This ritual boulder is very similar to that of the ñusta-hispana in the Vilcabamba I ruins. In the upper part one can see a body-shaped spot as if people had been placed on their backs.


THE URBAN SECTOR

While the agricultural sector is cut short by a dry ditch, one can see a long stairway that leads to the front gate.
This sector houses the most important constructions of any Inca city, where one can appreciate the talent, effort and quality of the pre-Hispanic builders, as the constructions are entirely made of granite, a very hard rock that is different from that used in Cusco.
The city is U-shaped. In the northern section there is the great religious sector containing the temples, to the South there are the houses and workshops on platform terraces that Bingham called the Military Group. The main buildings in the Urban Sector are the following:


THE TEMPLE OF THE SUN

This construction is shaped like a semi-circle and built on solid rock, an existing granite block shaped to blend with the natural curves, with a diameter of 10.50 meters. It is composed of highly polished polyhedrons. There are two trapezoidal windows in this building with protruding knobs at every comer, and on the north side there is a carefully-sculpted door with bored holes in the doorjamb, very similar to the Qoricancha temple in Cusco. The Spanish historians relate there were once gold and precious jewels encrusted in the door. To the West of the temple there is a rectangular patio with nine ceremonial doorways alternating with prism-shaped studs. 


THE INTIWATANA

reloj solar
This stone is located on a hill made up of several terraces. The visitor can gain access to the stone via 78 well-crafted steps. At the end of the staircase one enters an open patio with walls equally well-sculpted, and where one can see an upper platform where there is a granite rock sculpted into three steps. In the central part one can see a rectangular prism that is 36cm high and which is pointing from North-West to South-East.
Its four corners are directed to the four cardinal points. The Intiwatana had specific functions: it measured time (the solstice and the equinox) by using sunlight and shadow, and also served as an altar. In Quechua, "Inti" means "sun" and "Wata" means "year", thereby giving us the meaning of a solar year observatory.


THE GROUP OF THE SACRED ROCK

The sacred rock, located in a four-sided spot flanked by two three-sided rooms, features a monolithic rock sculpture which is 3cm high and 7m wide at its base. The pedestal, which is approximately 30cm high, resembles a feline. From another angle, It looks like the profile of a mountain near Machupicchu. It is possible that this cluster of constructions, together with two "Wayranas", or three-sided rooms, were used for rituals.


THE TEMPLE OF THREE WINDOWS

It is located West of the main square, has a large rectangular floor. Its name comes from the fact its main face has three windows and two blind bays. Together with the main temple, this is the most impressive architecture in all of Machupicchu. The enormous polyhedrons have been carved and joined with millimetric precision.
In front of the Wayrana-style construction, on the large doorjamb next to the central column that holds up the roof, there is a sculpted lithograph with carefully polished molds and flat parts.


MAIN TEMPLE

The temple is located North of the Sacred Square, very near the Temple of Three Windows. It is built of three walls and is 11m long and 8m wide.


THE DOORS

Doors are a common sight in Machupicchu and especially in this sector. They vary in texture, size and architectural style that set them apart from each other, although all have the same trapezoid shape. Some only have one doorjamb and lintel, and some have two. Some doors are simple and others have different security mechanisms such as stone rings, central trunks and other mechanisms which served to tie together beams to make the doors more secure.


THE FOUNTAINS

To the South of the complex, between the Temple of the Sun and the Royal Palace, the area houses a series of water fountains, the only sources of the vital element for the residents of Machupicchu. The first three water fountains or "PaqchaS7 in Quechua, have been extremely well sculpted. The architectural structures in this area are basically sculpted rock to which are added other decorations such as the spillway and the side walls. This beautiful finish is due to the harmony existing between the Temple of the Sun and the Royal Palace. These fountains were fed by underground water and carried via a canal to be used for irrigation of crops.


THE TOMB

The enormous leaning block of stone that holds up the Temple of the Sun has a large crack in its bottom part, which has been exceptionally skillfully decorated and furnished to be later used as a tomb.
It was also a site of worship and offerings to the mummified bodies of the main authorities. In the doorway it shows a carving portraying the symbol of the goddess Mother Earth. In its interior there are niches, monolithic pillars and other accessories used for religious means and to attend the mummies.


THE SQUARES

There are four main squares at different levels, but share the characteristic of being rectangular in the classic Inca style, interconnected by sunken stairways in the parameters of the terraces. The main square is the largest, which just like the main squares in all Inca cities, had religious and social functions.
The fourth open area is a square flanked by terraces with their respective access ways, similar to the 1,000 B.C. Chavin culture.
On July 14, 1911, Hiram Bingham arrived together with a team of Yale University specialists in topography, biographies, geology, engineering and osteology, led by local inhabitant Melchor Arteaga. They asked him about the city, and he told them it was located on top of an old peak ("Machupicchu" in Quechua).
Later, in 1914 Hiram Bingham returned to Machupicchu with economic and logistic backing from Yale University and the U.S. Geographic Society with the specialists mentioned above, whose report was published and made available around the world with the title "The Lost City of the Incas".
In the original map, Bingham carved Machupicchu into sectors according to the four cardinal points. Some names have remained the same, but 76 years after the discovery of Machupicchu, scientific studies carried out by archaeologists from the archaeological foundation of the National Cultural Institute as well as delegations of foreign scientists, have provided valuable conclusions about the use and functions of the buildings. These were based on archaeological excavations and the architectonic relations between the buildings with similar construction across the vast Inca empire.
The periods of occupation have been broken down into the following, based on historical accounts, construction style and ceramics:

1. Initial (up to 1,300 A.D.)
2. Classic (up to 1,400 A.D.)
3. Imperial (up to 1533 A.D.)
4. Contact or Transition (1533 to 1572)


DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE TO MACHUPICCHU

There are 112krn of railway line between the city of Cusco and the station of Puente Ruinas or Machupicchu. The trip starts in the station of San Pedro in Cusco, zig-zagging up the Picchu mountain until it reaches the highest point, a spot called "El Arco" (the arch), in the northwest part of the city.
- The route then descends to the villages of Poroy, Cachimayo and lzcuchaca until it reaches the Anta plains, an extensive cattle area. It climbs down the gully of Pomatales before descending to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, arriving at the station of Pachar. The route then crosses the Urubamba River to the right bank and arrives at the station of Ollantaytambo. For those who arrived here by the asphalt road of the Sacred Valley, one can board the train to continue to Machupicchu.


HOT SPRINGS:

At a distance of 800m East of the town of Aguas Calientes, there are underground hot sulfur springs which bubble up from the rocky ground at varying temperatures.
The especially-built pools at this resort are the basis of its use as hot mineral baths. The average temperature of the water runs from 38ºc to 46ºc. There are also changing rooms, bathrooms and a small snack bar.


RAIL TRANSPORT

Tourist Train, It only operates in the high season, leaving Cusco in the morning, stopping at the most important stations (Ollantaytambo, Km.88 or Ooriwayrachina) until it arrives at the station of Puente Ruinas. The trip takes four hours and returns in the evening.

Autovagon, This tourist service leaves Cusco in the morning and takes three hours. The trip from The Sacred Valley of the Incas (Urubamba to Ollantaytambo) takes 1,1/2 hours. It returns in the evening.
It is recommended to check all timetables in train stations and travel agencies, as they are modified according to the season.

sábado, 27 de agosto de 2011

Fotografías de Machu Picchu

Templo de la Ciudadela





Huayna Picchu



Llamas en Machu Picchu




Colcas en Machu Picchu




Intihuatana solar




Las Tres Portadas




Templo del Sol



Machu Picchu




















Celebraciones por el Centenario de Machu Picchu para el Mundo


Ceremonia incaica Tinkay (parte 1)




Ceremonia incaica Tinkay (parte 2)





Iluminación de Machu Picchu





Documental por el Centenario de Machu Picchu


Documental Centenario de MACHU PICCHU LA JOYA 

DEL EMPERADOR (parte1 )









Documental Centenario de MACHU PICCHU LA JOYA 

DEL EMPERADOR (parte 2 )










Documental Centenario de MACHU PICCHU LA JOYA 

DEL EMPERADOR (parte 3 )










Santuario de Machu Picchu


El santuario de machupicchu Con una extensión que comprende poco más de 35.000 hectáreas, el santuario histórico de Machu Picchu es mucho más que un conjunto de sitios arqueológicos enclavados en la abrupta selva nubosa. Su ubicación estratégica, en la vertiente oriental de los Andes y a ambas márgenes del río Urubamba, que corre en esta sección con dirección noroeste, permite a esta singular área protegida abarcar lo que podría considerarse uno de los transectos altitudinales más extraordinarios del Perú, y proteger, en sólo unos veinte kilómetros lineales, ecosistemas tan dispares como las nieves eternas, a más de 4.000 m.s.n.m., y las tórridas selvas tropicales, a poco más de 1.700 m.s.n.m.
La ciudadela de Machupicchu es uno de los centros arqueológicos más famosos del mundo, y lugar histórico más importante y de mayor identificación del Perú. Se extiende sobre un área de 5 Km², a 2,430 metros de altitud, en el Valle del río Urubamba.


Machupicchu es pura mística y abrumadora espiritualidad. Es un monumento a la relación entre lo humano y lo divino, lo cotidiano y lo mágico, un acercamiento del hombre, criatura de los dioses, a lo verdaderamente divino. Es un lugar donde las fuerzas extrañas de la naturaleza nos transportan a un estado cósmico incomparable, un estado interior que puede experimentarse sólo en Machupicchu.
Machupicchu es un asentamiento que fue construido por los incas en el siglo XV. Inca, o inka, es el nombre que se les daba a los habitantes de la cuenca del río Huatanay, en cuya ribera se levanta la ciudad del Cusco. 

Los incas, antes de esos tiempos, habían logrado formar un reino que dominaba la parte media del río Vilcanota.

Cronologia:

Se asume, en base a cálculos en los que no todos los estudiosos confían, que Pachakuteq se hizo del poder alrededor de 1430. La totalidad de los documentos que hablan sobre este inca le atribuyen la construcción del Cusco imperial, así como de la mayor parte de los grandes edificios de la región de los tampu, donde se encuentra Machu Picchu. Por esta razón, todos están de acuerdo en considerar que el santuario fue construido por él. Si esto es cierto, fue levantado en el siglo XV, no más de 100 años antes de la llegada de los españoles. Los estudios arqueológicos confirman estas presunciones y en ellos se incluyen fechados obtenidos mediante carbono 14 que coinciden en ubicar al santuario de Machu Picchu en el siglo XV.
Machupicchu etimológicamente proviene del quechua, se debe a la toponimia de la montaña que se denomina Machupicchu, palabra que descompuesta quiere decir:

  • Machu = anciano
  • Picchu = montaña
Esto vendría a significar montaña anciana, montaña vieja pero el nombre de los restos arqueológicos propiamente dicho pudo ser Markanay.


Ubicación

La zona arqueológica se halla situada en la margen izquierda del río Vilcanota; en la quebrada de Kusichaca, en el distrito de Machupicchu, provincia de Urubamba, departamento del Cusco.

Area

Con una extensión de 32,592 hectáreas, es considerado como una de las maravillas del mundo y fue declarado Patrimonio Cultural y Natural de la Humanidad por la UNESCO, en 1983.

Altitud

Es de 2490 m.s.n.m tomando como referencia a la Plaza Principal del sitio arqueológico.

Clima

Por hallarse en una zona subtropical posee una temperatura que
oscila entre los 8º a 22º C. Los meses más lluviosos van desde Diciembre hasta Abril.