Trip To Peru

On my trip to Peru I first stopped in Lima. Lima is the capital of the Peru. It is a beautiful city, with many churches wonderful old buildings. Lima was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizzaro on January 18, 1535.

From Lima we went to Cusco. Cusco is near the Urubamba valley. Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire. The Inca thought Cusco was the center of the world. While in Cusco we saw many Cathedrals that rival any one would find in Europe. Cusco is 11,200 feet about sea level! After Cusco we went to Maras and Moray. Maras is famous for it's salt ponds. Since Inca times salt has been mined in Maras. Moray is an Inca ruin, most famous for it large circular terraced depressions. No one is sure what exactly what the depressions are for, but due to their orientation to the sun there can be a temperature difference between the bottom of the depression and the top of 27 degrees. One thought is that the depression were and agricultural experiment by the Inca. Our next stop was Machu Picchu. This was amazing. The whole reason I wanted to go to Peru was Machu Picchu, and it didn't disappoint! The Incas built a city on top of a mountain! When the Spanish conquered the Inca, they destroyed all the major Inca cities. However, due to Machu Picchu's location and the fact it is believed to have been abandoned, the Spanish did not know of it's existence and therefore did not destroy it. Machu Picchu remained hidden from the world until Hiram Bingham discovered it on July 24, 1911. From Machu Picchu we went to Saqsaywaman. Saqsaywaman is on the outskirts of Cusco, and is generally thought of as a fortress. Like most Inca structures is was built using very large polished stones. While in Peru we visited a school. The name of the school is Virgin De Fatima. La Raya is a small mountain town between Cuso and Puno. Next was Lake Titikaka in Puno. The lake is often called the highest navigable lake in the world, with an elevation of 12,507 feet above sea level. The people who live in the area actually live on the lake. They build man made islands call Uros. These islands last up to 15 years, and take about 1 year to build. The boats, houses and islands are made from the Totora plant. Their original purpose was defensive, and they could be moved if a threat arose. Many of the islands contain watchtowers largely constructed of reeds. Lake Titikaka and the nearby city of Puno was amazing. Our last stop before returning to Lima, and eventually home was Sillustani. Sillustani is a pre Incan burial ground. The tombs are built above ground in tower like structures called Chullpas. Many of the Chullpas have been dynamited so as to rob the tombs. Also, many of the tombs were left unfinished. The people who used this burial ground were the Aymara. The Aymara were conquered by the Inca in the 15 century.