Peru -- Cuzco and Machu Picchu

In August 2004, my family and I took a trip to South Ameria. These web pages show photos that I took when visiting Cuzco, the Urubamba Valley (the "Sacred Valley"), and Machu Picchu. There are four pages of photos. Click on any photo for a larger version.

 

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A woman in Ollantay Tambo, Peru. This is one of my favorite photos, so I placed it here (out of order).
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Peruvian mountains near Machu Picchu. (Another of my favorite photos.)
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Steep terraces at Machu Picchu. (Another of my favorite photos.)
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Now the photos are in order (more or less). This is the farming area near Cuzco, as we are flying into that high city.
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The city of Cuzco, Peru. Altitude 12,000 ft. Photo taken from nearby hills. Main square, the Plaza de Armas, is visible in the foreground.
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The main square Place de Armas seen from Sacsayhuaman.
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Original Inca stonework in Cuzco street.
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Street leading down to Place de Armas. Note the texture in the pavement, very typical of Cuzco.
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School in Cuzco. Our guide gave us conflicting information about what fraction of Peruvian children go to school.
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Cathedral in Cuzco.
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Buildings on the Plaza de Armas.
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The Tea room at the Hotel Monasterio
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But this is the recommended way to avoid altitude sickness -- drink coca tea (illegal in the US).
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Coca tea. Illegal in the US.
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If the tea doesn't work, they have oxygen available.
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The chapel at the Hotel Monasterio
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Courtyard of Hotel Monasterio
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Our hotel room at the Monasterio hotel.
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The Cathedral and the Place de Armas at night, from the restaurant.window
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Rolling rocks -- better than wheels for large stones. Even more important due to the fact that the Incas never invented the wheel.
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Rolling stones. Note the total absence of moss.
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Bronze shield. None of the gold art work was even this well done. I had the impression that the Incas considered gold to be roofing material.
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Cuzco street.
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Alley in Cuzco
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Street in Cuzco. It is a wonderful town to wander through, assuming that the coca tea helped adjust you to the altitude.
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Courtyard in Cuzco, with small shops (where we bought some carved gourds).
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Artist, saleswoman, and proprietor in the Cuzco shop.
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Remains of the Sacsayhuaman fortress. This was the location of the last battle between Pizarro and the Incas.
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Sacsayhuaman fortress. Our guidebook says it is pronounced as "sexy woman."
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Rosemary in Sacsayhuaman ruins

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