Journey
PERU

In 2019, I was a co-leader with TwoTruths.org for a cultural pilgrimage to Peru that included a trip to Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan city located high in the Andes Mountains.  On my trip to Peru there were so many experiences, it is hard to just name a few. This was not only a journey to see the sites, but for all of us, a personal journey transpired. A few of the women had never traveled alone without their husbands, and they had to navigate flights and airports for the first time alone.  Everyone confronted their own fear, which brought personal growth as a part of the journey. 

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We began our sightseeing with the the Rafael Larco Museum, where we experienced the pre-Columbian art and culture. The Larco Museum has one of the most incredible ceramics collections found anywhere in the world- a collection of 55,000 pots, grouped into categories such as animals, people, and medical and medicinal practices. It gave me an astonishing glimpse into layers of Peruvian cultures.

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National Museum of Anthropology and Archeology in Lima was another stop. This treasure-trove features the country’s best collection of pre-historical artifacts, from the earliest archeology sites to the arrival of the Francisco Pizarro and the Spaniards. The collection includes Chavin stone carvings, Nazca ceramics, and Paracas weaving textiles – all providing insights into the layer of cultures that make up the traditions and evolution of Peru.

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Chinchero is a small, rustic, authentic village with Inca architecture and megalithic carved rocks and a beautiful adobe church in the plaza built in 1607. Chinchero is the center of weaving in Peru. We visited the textile women’s cooperative there, and view demonstrations of washing, dying, and spinning alpaca wool. The market was colorful with local inhabitants, traditionally dressed, shopping for their household fruits and vegetables.

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Cuzco Cathedral, whose construction began in 1559 and was completed almost 100 years later. Inside are richly carved altars and the best collection of spiritual devotional art, called the Cuzco School of Painting. These stunning 30- and 40-foot canvases were created from 16th Century inspirations, blended through the soul and passion of indigenous artists.  It was a truly beautiful cathedral!

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Sacsayhuaman Ruins, built by the Incas, with many of the stones weighing 200 tons each was a treat to see. The area has been continuously occupied since 900AD.   Located on a steep hill, Sacsayhuaman is a fortified sacred complex with three-tiered zigzag walls, and a wide view of the sacred Urubamba Valley. The Incas envisioned Cuzco in the shape of an indigenous puma, with Sacsayhuaman (pronounced: sex-a-y-woman) as the head.

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Then the day finally came…an early morning train ride to Aguas Calientes (6,693 feet elevation), the gateway town, and onward to Machu Picchu, called “the lost city of the Incas,” the most spectacular archeological site in all of South America.

 

At Machu Picchu, we encountered the 16 connected ceremonial baths, and take a short walk onward to Machu Picchu’s only round building, The Temple of the Sun, containing Machu Picchu’s finest stone wall work. We investigated the Temple of the Three Windows, with its dramatic views of the plaza. We will walk through the Principal Temple and admire the perfection of its construction, and then on to the House of the High Priest. This was followed by a visit to the Sacristy, known to contain 32 stone carved angles!

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We also saw the ‘hitching post of the sun’, where the ancients organized at Intihuatana a pillar assisting in telling and recording the time of year. It is here that the Inca astronomers were able to predict the solstices, using the angles of the pillar. In this way, the Inca, the sons of the sun, were able to claim control over the exact return of the lengthening summer days.

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Then to top it all off, our Amazon experience began!  We journeyed by boat on the Madre De Dios River to our jungle lodge, Monte Amazonico, where we spent four days and three nights.  The rainforest is the lungs of the planet, and we spotted monkeys, flocks of vibrantly colored flying macaws, black caiman (alligators), butterflies, capy baras, frogs, and many of the  1,300 bird species, and sloths.

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Day trips walking the rainforest canopy, night walks in the jungle spotting caimans, hammock time, an outing to dreamy Lake Sandoval, a visit to Monkey Island, kayaking and a zip line experience in the jungle, were all part of the experience.

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I did lots of yoga with the group throughout the trip and also presented parts of the Bhagavad Gita and other spiritual teachings.  Our group bonded and the experience that we shared will always remain in our hearts and minds.

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 I was told once that the purpose of a spiritual journey is rarely to find an answer, rather, it is a process of expanding into questions and wonder.   I found that to be very true on all my trips. 

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