Lima, The Capital of Peru

Elaine and I start in Lima, the capital city of Peru, founded by Francisco Pizarro. Nowadays, it’s touted as a worthwhile and safe visit, but it wasn’t then and there’s a swift departure. The buses are efficient and comfortable and even show movies. Well, one. We watch Analyse This (in Spanish) six times.

Paracas and the Islas Ballestas: Peru's Miniature Galapagos

First, the town of Paracas, roughly 250 kilometres south of Lima, on the edge of the costa desert. It's famous for its dramatic meeting of desert dunes dropping sheer into turquoise waters. It also functions as the central gateway to the biodiverse Ballestas Islands and the expansive Paracas National Reserve.

The Islas Ballestes are said to be a must see on any Peruvian itinerary, though slightly mitigated by the title 'The Poor Man's Galapagos'. Sea lion colonies, Humboldt penguins and pelicans. We take to a boat and, true to form on such occasions, the sea is misty and the islands smelly, due to the huge heaps of guano, once a source of huge profit to the country. Nevertheless, pinnipeds and quantities of sea birds are discernible.

Through the fog we can just make out El Candelabro, the prehistoric, 600-foot-tall geoglyph etched directly into the slope of the Paracas Peninsula. We can also (just) see the Paracas National Reserve, a coastal sanctuary featuring unique geological formations like 'La Catedral' and rare red-sand beaches formed from eroded volcanic rock.

And we don’t have to walk far to see the dunes. They tower over the artificial lakes around the hotel. Dune bashing is on offer, if you are so inclined.

The Nazca Lines - Enigmatic Giants of the Desert

Nazca is an arid desert city in southern Peru, 450 kilometres south of Lima, nestled against towering Andean foothills and home to Cerro Blanco, one of the highest sand dunes in the world. But it is world-renowned for the Nazca Lines - a massive network of ancient geoglyphs etched into the desert floor by the Nazca culture between 200 BC and 500AD. Due to the region's hyper-arid climate, which sees virtually no rainfall, these massive pre-Inca geometric shapes, lines, and animal figures have remained perfectly preserved for millennia. The most famous geoglyphs are:

• The Hummingbird (96 metres - elegant and perfectly proportioned with its long, sharp beak points directly toward the rising sun during the summer solstice, leading many researchers to believe it served an astronomical purpose.
• The Monkey ( 110 metres - monkeys are not native to the hyper-arid coast - they live in the Amazon rainforest
• The Spider (46 metres - ricinuleid spiders are extremely rare, found only in the remote depths of the Amazon jungle
• The Condor (134 metres)
• The Dog (50 metres )
• The Astronaut (32 metres - a unique, bulbous-headed humanoid which has fuelled decades of science-fiction theories

I'm really excited. I’ve been obsessed with the mysterious Nazca Lines. ever since I read the book and saw the film Chariots of the Gods. They are so huge that you can only properly view the geometric figures, animal and plant drawings, from the air and Swiss, Erich Von Daniken believed that the only plausible explanation for this network of giant desert etchings is that they were created by aliens. He claimed that the long, straight geometric lines looked exactly like modern airport runways and must have been built as landing strips for extraterrestrial spacecraft.

However, scientists have taken his theories apart. They say the desert floor is made of loose, soft soil and if a heavy aircraft tried to land there, it would immediately sink into the clay and permanently destroy the delicate lines. What's more, excavations along the lines have uncovered thousands of human items, including pottery fragments, seashells used in water rituals, and wooden posts that have been carbon-dated precisely to the era of the Nazca civilization.

It seems that the Nazca people were masterful artists and engineers (who also built complex underground stone aqueducts to bring water to their desert crops). The Nazca desert floor is covered in a thin layer of dark, reddish-brown pebbles coated in iron oxide. Directly underneath this top layer sits a lighter, pale yellow-grey soil. To make a line, the Nazca people simply walked in rows and cleared away the dark surface rocks to expose the bright clay beneath. Archaeologists have even found basic geometry tools (ancient wooden stakes and remains of hemp ropes) at the ends of some lines. All the Nazcans had to do was draw a small-scale master blueprint on the ground, divide it into a grid pattern, and then use ropes and stakes to multiply the grid squares onto the massive desert floor.

In addition, modern methods (and AI) have discovered hundreds of new geoglyphs carved into the gravel. These include highly bizarre, graphic images of llamas, decapitated heads, and killer whales carrying knives.

It's both hugely disappointing (though no-one can be absolutely certain about their methods) and intriguing. The main question now is 'Why did they make them?' Three major competing schools of thought exist: they are a) a cosmic observatory, b)designed for water and fertility rites, or c)communication pathways sending out cultural messages. Take your pick.

A small plane flight has been booked for us, but there are only four places and I’m elbowed into the middle of the back seat by a very aggressive German. We’ve been warned that the plane banks steeply to get good views and there are plenty of thermals with the hot air too. The German is soon throwing up badly, proving that there is a God after all. (Or an alien). And one of the pilots takes pity on me and borrows my camera. That explains how I got some pictures, though no-one so far has come up with a a better solution to the origins of the lines. And Von Daniken's is a fascinating theory....

Peru - Facts and Factoids

• Peru is divided into three distinct geographic zones consisting of the costa, a hyper-arid coastal desert, the sierra, which encompasses towering peaks of the Andes Mountains and the Altiplano plateau, and the dense tropical rainforest of the Amazon Basin. The Amazon covers 60% of the country, the second-largest proportion of the Amazon rainforest after Brazil, leading to rich bio-diversity.
• The Amazon River begins its long journey to the Atlantic Ocean from glaciers in the high Peruvian Andes.
• Lake Titicaca sits on the south-eastern border with Bolivia and is recognized as the highest navigable body of water in the world.
• Peru is categorized as a megadiverse country, containing thousands of unique species of orchids, over 1,800 species of birds, and nearly ten percent of the world's fish species.
• Peru has a multi-ethnic population of over 34 million, which includes Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and Asians. The main spoken language is Spanish.
• The nation operates as a unitary presidential representative republic with a multi-party political system and a single-house unicameral congress. The president acts as both the official head of state and the head of government for a fixed five-year term.

• The potato is native to southern Peru and today, there are over 4,000 varieties grown in the country. The Peruvians have a patriotic saying: 'Soy mas Peruano que la papa”-' (I am more Peruvian than the potato).
• The only South American bear, the spectacled bear, lives high in the Andes. Michael Bond based his stories of Paddington Bear on this bear, saying his hero came 'from darkest Peru.'
• The official currency is the Sol, and the primary language spoken across the country is Spanish, alongside indigenous languages like Quechua and Aymara.
• Pisco, a clear grape brandy distilled in the southern desert valleys, is recognized as the national spirit and forms the base of the famous pisco sour cocktail. (One of my favourite drinks, though it's also claimed by Chile)
• Peruvians celebrate New Year’s Eve by giving yellow underpants as presents, to bring good luck in the coming year. It is traditional to wear them inside out (underneath clothing) during the day, then flip them around at the stroke of midnight.

Cusco: The Navel of the World

Cusco and Machu Picchu are almost obligatory on a trip to Peru. Warding off altitude sickness, here in the high Andes (3,400 metres), is the first challenge. There are baskets of coca leaves scattered around our hotel; I’m not sure if they’re working, but they make my tongue go very numb.

Cusco is a tourist hub and trekking mecca, the South American Kathmandu, a gorgeous photogenic maze of red roofed houses, courtyards and church spires, ringed by mountains. This vibrant city was the historic capital of the Inca Empire and the grand Spanish colonial churches and red-tiled roofs are built directly on top of massive, precisely carved Inca stone foundations. Its historic centre is based around the bustling Plaza de Armas Square.

Cusco means 'Navel of the World' in Quechua, the language of the Incas. Inca cosmology positioned the city not just as a political capital, but as the absolute 'axis mundi': the spiritual and geographical centre of their universe. Inca mythology says that the sun god Inti sent his children, Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo, to find a place where a golden staff would effortlessly sink into the ground. That sacred spot was Cusco.

The entire Inca Empire was named Tawantinsuyu, meaning 'The Four United Regions'. Cusco sat at the exact intersection where the roads leading to all four massive territories met. A network of 41 invisible ritual lines radiated out from the Coricancha (the Temple of the Sun) in Cusco, like spokes on a wheel, connecting hundreds of sacred shrines (huacas), across the landscape.

Sacsayhuamán

One of the routes led across the steep mountain peaks, fertile river valleys, to the fortress of Sacsayhuamán, a massive Inca citadel on a northern hilltop, overlooking the city. Built under Inca Emperor Pachacuti in the fifteenth century, the site was multifunctional: a royal fortress, a ceremonial religious complex and sanctuary, and a weapons storehouse.

They say that the city of Cusco was designed in the shape of a sacred puma. The royal palaces formed the body and Sacsayhuamán was designed as the head. It's not easy to verify, but I can see why its astonishing three tiers of zigzagging walls represent the animal's sharp teeth. These are constructed from colossal limestone blocks, weighing up to one hundred metric tonnes. The Inca engineers shaped and fitted these giant stones together with incredible precision - no mortar. They have survived as the interlocking design gave excellent earthquake resistance, allowing the structures to shift safely during seismic events.

Following the Spanish conquest, the site became the battleground for a massive indigenous uprising led by Manco Inca, Pissarro's Inca puppet ruler (they thought), in 1536. The Spanish ultimately won the fort, and turned the fort into a quarry. They dismantled much of it, to harvest stone for building houses, cathedrals, and administrative offices in downtown Cusco.

A Brief History of Peru

• The history of Peru spans 15 millennia; Peru was settled thousands of years ago by nomadic hunters who eventually developed complex agricultural societies along the coast and highlands.
• Peru's coast was home to the Norte Chico (Caral-Supe) civilization, the oldest civilization in the Americas and one of the six cradles of civilization in the world. It emerged around 3000 BCE, constructing large urban centres and pyramids.
• Multiple distinct cultures like the Nazca, Moche, and Wari later flourished across the region, leaving behind advanced irrigation systems, pottery, and geoglyphs.
• But Peru’s ancient Inca civilisation is the most well known. It was the biggest and most complex in pre-Columbian America, (larger than the Roman Empire) - see below
• Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro arrived in 1532, betrayed and captured the Inca Emperor Atahualpa, which triggered the rapid collapse and colonization of the empire.
• The Viceroyalty of Peru was established in 1542, turning Lima into the primary political and commercial hub for Spanish South America.
• Indigenous populations suffered catastrophic declines due to European diseases and forced labor systems like the mita in silver mines.
• The Argentine liberator José de San Martín proclaimed Peru independent from Spain in 1821, and Simón Bolívar, the northern Venezuelan born liberator secured total victory for the Peruvians, at the Battle of Ayacucho, in 1824.
• Peru has rarely been politically stable since it won its independence. There were military coups throughout the mid-nineteenth century, Peru lost valuable southern territories to Chile, during the War of the Pacific, which lasted from 1879 to 1883 and left the nation economically devastated, the mid-twentieth century brought alternating periods of democratic rule and military dictatorships alongside growing social demands from rural populations.
• A brutal internal armed conflict ran from 1980 to 1992, when the communist guerrilla group Shining Path led an insurgency against the Peruvian state.
• The volatility and corruption investigations continue.

The Sacred Valley

We take a bus for a day trip to the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley of the Incas, carved out by the Urubamba River, earned its title because the Incas viewed the entire landscape as a terrestrial reflection of the Milky Way, which they mapped across the night sky. It was thought to be a deeply spiritual place, reinforced by the valley's exceptional climate and fertile soils. It was the primary agricultural powerhouse for cultivating sacred crops like maize, which was crucial for religious ceremonies and royal feasts.

The Inca emperors turned the valley into their personal playground, constructing private estates and a plethora of royal palaces, temples, and agricultural laboratories.

Market and Mountain Fortress: The Living Traditions and Terraced Citadel of Pisac

Pisac's hilltop archaeological complex is a sweeping amphitheatre of agricultural terraces, curving perfectly along the contours of the mountain. Inca temples, hewn out of stone, hog priceless views. At the crest of the site is the Intihuatana sector. This is the sacred ceremonial heart, housing a polished sun-tethering stone, royal palaces, and water channels, carved into the rock.

On the adjacent cliff face of the Kitamayo gorge lies the largest pre-Columbian cemetery in South America. Thousands of ancient Inca mummy holes are still visible in the rock face.

In complete contrast, on the valley floor, the town’s central plaza is home to one of the most colourful and famous of artisan markets. Indigenous Quechua vendors from surrounding mountain communities trade hand-woven alpaca textiles, silver jewellery, and traditional ceramics. The stalls are crammed with bright woven goods and woollen ponchos. They aren’t cheap, but it takes up to six months to spin, dye, and weave a traditional Peruvian poncho. Peruvians generally receive one poncho upon becoming an adult and it is expected to last a lifetime. (Nearly every weaving technique known today was invented by Peruvians – and all of them were in use before 3000 B.C.) The local people are equally colourful, with their high cheekbones, lampshade hats and cautious smiles.

The bomberos (firemen - I love that word) are on parade too, a sea of scarlet.

Ollantaytambo - a Living Museum

Ollantaytambo is a massive living museum, the only town where residents still live in stone houses built directly onto an intact, fifteenth-century Inca urban grid, complete with functioning street-side water canals.

Guarding the valley is its towering fortress. A steep hillside complex of agricultural terraces, leads up to the monumental Temple of the Sun. This is constructed from six giant blocks of rose-coloured granite, transported across a river from a quarry several kilometres away.

Here, Manco Inca reversed his fortunes (for a while) and successfully defeated the Spanish conquistadors, in 1537, by flooding the plains below, to trap their cavalry. Directly across the canyon, on Pinkuylluna Mountain, ancient stone storehouses (qollqas) still cling to the cliffs, positioned high to catch the cool valley winds, so that would dry and preserve the empire's food supplies.

There's another artisan market here too, but it's right at the archaeological site complex entrance, so more touristy than authentic.

The Alpacas of Peru

We also have our first encounters with alpacas. Three-quarters of the world’s alpaca population lives in Peru. There are two distinct breeds of alpaca, the Huacaya and the Suri. No problem telling them apart. The Huacaya is the most common variety, accounting for roughly ninety percent of the population, characterized by a fluffy, dense, teddy-bear-like coat which grows perpendicular to the skin. In contrast, the rarer Suri alpaca makes up only about ten percent of the herd. It has long, silky, pencil-like dreadlocks that drape straight down the sides of its body. They look like giant mops and I have no idea how they can see, but their fibre is highly prized for its exceptional sheen, silky texture, and 'beautiful drape' in luxury textiles.

Both breeds thrive in the high-altitude Andean wetlands and produce a highly prized, naturally hypoallergenic wool that comes in over twenty distinct natural shades, ranging from pure white to deep blacks and browns. The proud Peruvians decorate them like dolls, with tasselled striped coats and woolly ribbons in their ears. They’re so cute, and look deceptively so much friendlier than their larger llama cousins, that it’s hard to decide whether they or their owners are the most photogenic.

The Peruvians exploit this knowledge, to their best advantage, and it’s hard to begrudge payment for such appealing pictures. Despite this, the national animal is the smaller wild vicuña. (Alpacas are descended from vicuñas and llamas from guanacos.) Vicuñas come in 22 natural colours and their wool is considered to be the world’s most luxurious fabric.

The Inca Empire

• The Inca Empire originated in the Cusco region during the early thirteenth century before expanding into the largest pre-Columbian empire in the Americas.
• The empire grew rapidly under the leadership of Pachacuti, who transformed the kingdom into a vast, highly centralized state through both conquest and peaceful assimilation.
• The territory spanned across modern-day Peru, Ecuador, western Bolivia, northwest Argentina, northern Chile, and a small part of southwest Colombia and included 24,855 miles  of roads, with suspension bridges and stone pathways, at its peak. That’s almost enough to stretch around the Earth itself. It relied on a network of chasquis (runners) to keep the kingdom connected.
• The population was highly organized through a decimal administrative system, where local chiefs reported to regional governors, who in turn answered to the supreme emperor.
• The first census was created by the Incas. They had no formal system of writing, and so developed a system of record-keeping using different coloured knots called 'quipus' made from wool or cotton strings.
• The state religion centred on the worship of Inti, the sun god, with the emperor revered as a living deity and direct descendant of the sun.
• The empire was severely weakened in the late 1520s by a devastating civil war between rival brothers Huáscar and Atahualpa,
• Their empire was brutally brought to an end by the greedy Spaniards, in 1532, with conquistador Pizarro breaking his word to the emperor, Atahualpa, after Atahualpa had kept his end of the bargain, ransacked his kingdom and filled a chamber once with gold and twice with silver.

Aguas Calientes - A Railway Station

If you want to get to Machu Picchu you have two choices. You can either walk the multi day trekking route, the Inca Trail, which arrives at the top of the mountain, or get the scenic train ride to Aguas Calientes, the canyon town at the bottom of the slope. Entirely designed around tourism, Aguas Calientes gets its name from the natural, sulphur-rich thermal hot springs situated at the edge of the town. (But it is also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo.) It has no car roads and it is the railway terminus. The town is the station, spreading out around the railway tracks. Passengers step right off the platform into a labyrinth of artisan craft markets, hotels, and restaurants that tightly line the narrow, pedestrian-only streets. Or, you can lean out of the carriage, as the whistle blares its warning, and do your shopping.

The daily schedule of the town revolves completely around the arrival and departure of these trains. They drop off thousands of tourists each morning to catch the shuttle buses that climb the winding switchback road, to the ruins and bring them back down to the town's central restaurants, before the evening departures.

Exploring Machu Picchu

We've stayed the night in Aguas Calientes to get two shots at fabled Machu Picchu and a chance to experience it when all the day-trippers have gone. This, most famous of Incan ruins, was (re)discovered by American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911. I wrote an essay on the Incas at school when I was twelve - they fascinated me - and I’m dredging my memory.

Today’s Machu Picchu has no echo of the Conquistador violence, surrounded by enchanting white tipped mountain walls. The Andes are truly stunning. Machu Picchu is at its best in the early morning and evening, when most of the visitors have left.

How to describe this place, a feature on nearly every traveller's bucket list? It does not disappoint. It's enthralling. A granite sanctuary of masterfully carved stone temples, plazas, and emerald agricultural terraces, clinging to a sharp mountain ridge, between twin Andean peaks.

Perched in the prestigious upper sector of the citadel is the Royal Palace, a complex of interconnected rooms, built around a central courtyard. Its smooth, ashlar (no mortar) masonry is designed to represent the supreme status of the emperor. The rest of the site uses rubble masonry joins. That's a quick mix of mud and rough stones.

Directly next door to these royal quarters, the semi-circular Temple of the Sun sits atop a natural rock cave, dubbed the Royal Tomb. Here, the curved stonework is designed to perfectly frame the winter solstice sun, through its trapezoidal windows. Above, at the city's highest point is the Intihuatana, a sculpted bedrock monolith. That was the Incas' sacred solar clock.

Below the palace and sacred plazas, are a labyrinth of multi-story stone residences and enclosures. Key sites include the Principal Temple and the Room of the Three Windows, all overlooking a sweeping central plaza. At the northern edge of this plaza stands the Sacred Rock. This is another massive monolith whose top edge is meticulously carved to mimic the asymmetrical silhouette of Huayna Picchu, (that's the iconic jagged mountain rising directly behind the ruins which features in everyone's photos). Even the triangular gables of the stone buildings echo the sharp geometry of the peak.

The various complexes are all linked by an intricate system of sixteen running stone water channels, which still drain fresh spring water across the terraced mountainside.

We walk backwards up the last part of the Inca Trail, stunning views down to the Urubamba River, for the famed view through the Sun Gate (Inti Punku). We haven’t contemplated actually walking the trail. It’s been deemed too dangerous over recent years, because of the Shining Path protest raids and besides, I’ve only recently had glandular fever and I understand it’s a very tough trek.

Sitting on a stone bench at Machu Picchu, ringed by mountain walls, the electric charge is amazing, energising and wonderful. I don’t want to come down. This really should be one of the Wonders of the World. The staircase descent goes on on for ever, but is preferable to the bus careering round the hairpin bends.

Food, Drink and Adventures Around Cusco

Criss-crossing the mountains on buses and trains and sampling the ceviche and pisco in the Cuzco tavernas, we keep meeting the same people, ships in the night. One couple, who had better remain nameless, are working at the same university. Only he is married to someone else and his wife doesn't know about their relationship - yet. We arrange to meet for a final meal to drink pisco and sample the native delicacy, guinea pig (these are farmed by most of the locals).

But tonight, I have to pass on the food. The guinea pigs are grilled whole, skewered flat, heads attached, complete with little paws pointing upwards in supplication.

The pisco sours are much more welcome, however. And I have an empty stomach. I fall instantly in love with a bearded American, Jay, who joins us. He professes to feel the same. It is unfortunate that he is just moving into a shared place with his girlfriend in California, but this is so different and amazing, he promises that he will stay in touch. We can’t let this go, he will come and see me very soon. He writes his email address carefully on a paper napkin and I, just as carefully, put it away. Jaybird - transitory flash of iridescence. Reader, I never hear from him again.

Cusco to Puno

A final 240 mile rail journey that climbs from the imperial Inca capital of Cusco across the high-altitude Peruvian Andes, to Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. I've already over - used the word scenic - it's another spectacular journey. The route begins by winding out of the Cusco valley, passing agricultural villages and ancient ruins, before tracing the path of the sacred Huatanay River. As the train climbs higher into the mountains, it passes through the picturesque town of Andahuaylillas, famous for its ornate colonial church, before reaching the geographic midpoint of the journey at La Raya Pass.

The train stops at La Raya Station, (14,172 feet) above sea level, passengers admire the views, a rugged mountain church and the towering, snow-covered peak of Mount Chimboya. Vendors frantically wave furry clothing at us: slippers and hats, optimistically hoping we are suffering from the alpine chill. From this continental divide, the train descends gradually onto the flat, expansive northern Altiplano, rolling past the traditional pottery-making town of Raqch'i and the sprawling artisan market city of Juliaca. Finally, the tracks approach the flat, shimmering blue expanse of Lake Titicaca. At 12,507 feet above sea level this is the world’s highest navigable lake, so coca leaves are still required.

The Uros Floating Islands

The Uros Floating Islands - an extraordinary archipelago of over one hundred man-made, buoyant platforms constructed entirely from native totora reeds, on the high-altitude waters of Lake Titicaca. They originated as a clever, easily mobile defensive strategy, to escape the Incas and the Collas. Each island is built by weaving together dense, fibrous root blocks of reeds- called khili- which are anchored them to the lakebed, with long eucalyptus posts, to prevent them from drifting away. So, the posts can easily be removed, if necessary, turning the islands into rafts.

The residents continuously maintain their floating territory, by adding fresh layers of reeds to the surface, as the submerged foundations rot away. In their spare time, they use the same versatile plant to construct their arched homes, furniture, and dragon-headed reed boats.

Visiting involves a short boat ride from Puno, then stepping directly onto the spongy, reed platforms. It's a warm welcome from the local families in their traditional, brightly embroidered attire. But the tours offering tours of their totora-reed homes are laced with sales patter. The Uros people rely heavily on the sale of handmade textiles and pottery, not to mention optional rides on their large, dual-hulled reed boats.

On the other side of the lake, Bolivia awaits.