MACHU PICCHU
The story of "Macchu Picchu." Who would have ever thought that the ruins found in 1911 by a Yale archeaologisist would become one of the most well known places in the world? One Hiram Bingham showed the world of what a beautiful place that these ruins were home too. Most people in the Incan age had never even heard of this. They had always used the Andean mountain top which rose to a maximum height of 9,060 feet. However, many origins and myths stated that "Macchu Picchu" came from a far earlier time. No doubt about it, there was something amazing about this place. With many hours of work, the Inca used these ruins and turned a modicum area of about 5 square miles into an extraordinary city. This city lies over the Urubamba river by nearly 2000 feet. Some would ask if there were any religous purposes toward this city. Despite being more of a sacred, secret city, little information is known about the religous use toward this place.
One thing that impressed me about this city is the fact that even though it was small, it still had a major impact on many people and their lives. The background of the city and how it all came about inspired people to live a certain way and respect the city. I also found it interesting about how the sun is supposedly "tied" to the rock at one point. The Intihuatana is designed to hitch the sun at both equinoxes. The metaphor of "The sun sits with all its might upon the pillar" is really explained to be that there is no shadow anywhere else. So there is direct sunlight upon one specific object with no shadows. You rarely see that happen in any place. Last but certainly not least, "Macchu Picchu" is a very beautiful place to say the least. If you ever had the chance to be on sacred grounds and experience what many Incans did while living there, you wouldn't want to pass that up.
INCA HISTORY
The "Land of the Four Quarters" has spoken for itself on many occasions. Spanning more that 4300 miles along the mountains and coastal deserts of Central America, who wouldn't have wanted to see this great peace of history. Despite only lasting around a century, this land was the equivalent of any large European nation. There is no real fact of how the INCA began. It has been stated according to mythology that Manco Capac and his sister arose from a lake being created by the sun and moon. However, according to archaeological research, the INCA were simply a small petty tribe that later became well known. As the Inca began to expand their territories, the first step was to find an allaince. Searching for many tribes along the frontiers, no luck seem to come at first. But later on, they exchanged copious gifts of textiles, exotic products from distant regions, and wives to add blood ties to go along with the allainces that were offered to the chiefs of tribes. These gifts were often accepted due to the fact that other tribes couldn't stand up against the Inca and their superior military power.
Tribes were then made into larger and stronger units. This strategy gave Tawantinsuyu more than 80 political provinces, each with different ethnic characteristics among each other. The Inca then came up with their own language to address the different tribes. It was known as Quechua, the language of the realm and of governemental communication. Additionally, the Inca frequently moved their populations around the realm, putting loyal and worthy tribes into dangerous areas, and transferring the tribes that were there to loyal areas. These wholesale transfers of people were used to introduce farmers and different weavers, stone workers and artisans into these areas where the skills were needed.
One thing I found impressive about the INCA is the fact that they were never in the same spot. They always moved everyone around. I guess you could say that they never wanted anyone to get too comfortable with where the were. This also would never allow anyone to have the chance to plan an attack, not that anyone would try anyway. Also, they produced rapidly. It didn't take long for them to gather people into their tribes and to soon produce a large military that could take over any tribe at any time. Lastly, they found a system that would feed all of their people by transporting rich soils to create highly ranked irrigation systems to grow crops with ease. That was smart considering that in that time, they didn't really have much to live on. But that used what they had, and let the natural environment take care of their eating needs. Each tribe would look after their own crop and raise it accordingly.
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