Incans and Andes

There is a lovely legend as told by the followers of the various Andean religions that was adopted by the Incans in the fifteenth century. According to the native peoples here in the Andes, when a person dies, their soul is lifted up to the height of the glaciers at the peaks of the mountains. The snow and ice will then melt and funnel down into the valleys so that their spirits can nourish the crops helping to feed a grateful nation.

I can honestly say that this is one of the most beautiful ideas of life after death that I have ever heard and it was just one of the many gems that we encountered during our first day in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. The people here are farmers by history and supporters of tourism by necessity. They have found ways to thrive in an ever-changing world and while their agrarian lives in these mountains are fully dependent on a climate that doesn't always cooperate, the tourists arrive 365 days a year and are more than willing to feed the economy.

Cusco is the capital of the Incan empire and today it is a thriving centre of over half a million people. Immigrants from all over the world are coming here to settle. The natives love the influx of cultures and seem to take on the best of everything as their own. It is a heritage that has worked really well in the religious realm as well. There was a thriving Jewish population at one time, descendants of those escaping the inquisitions in Spain and Portugal. Cusco is home to one of the oldest synagogues in the world but unfortunately, it has been shuttered for over two centuries. The Jews migrated down to Lima. As we toured a Catholic church in the old city, it was obvious by the iconography that even the archdiocese has inherently understood the needs of its parishioners to maintain their heritage and it has incorporated many symbols of the Andean religions. Madonnas wearing the garb of the weather gods adorn the chapels and mirrors are everywhere as a nod to the peoples' adulation for the gods of lightning and thunder.

These are the gods that are still worshipped at Saqsaywaman, a temple built right into the walls of the mountains that still today holds festivals and services. The people believe that hail is the most destructive precipitation because it catches fire and destroys crops. The gods of thunder and lightning together change the hail into life-giving rain. Rain is revered here and there is much joy during the rainy season. The enormous temple is spread out over half a mile and was begun by the Incan king Pachacuti. It took four generations and over one hundred years to complete. The stones that support the walls of the temple are remarkable in size and shape and it makes one wonder how rural people could possibly have created such a marvel. I loved looking up to the tops of the ridges and seeing people sitting in the rain in deep meditation.

The market in Pisac was our final stop for the day. The colourful wares of the local artisans were certainly magnificent but I honestly could have done without the child hucksters. It is school break here and it seems that these kids are being put to work.

We were a bit concerned about the altitude playing havoc with our systems, but we seem to be getting off easy with only a couple of slight headaches. I'm not at all certain if the coca leaves or the munya tea is really the cure-all for altitude sickness that all of the natives swear it is but I am all in and willing to try. Hopefully, we will acclimatize by tomorrow and we can forgo the ancient remedies.

Old City of Cusco

Saqsaywaman

The market at Pisac