Arriba!

So we're back from Peru. As Jen wrote, it was quite the trip. My favorite moments were:

1. Meeting Jen (and Becca and Karen) at the Sun Gate, overlooking Manchu Picchu.
2. Hiking with Sarah and Cari up a peak to gaze at the moonlit peaks and clouds around us. Oh, and to look for the Southern Cross which, as always on this trip, was too low in the sky.
3. Walking around our magnificent campsite early in the second morning, enjoying the quiet majestic solitude of the Andes as the others napped in their tents.
4. "Llama fish", and other assorted bits of spontaneous humor that frequented our trip.

The hike along the Inca Trail was incredible. The mountains alone trump the Rockies in terms of sheer beauty, with their craggy tops and steep sides lushly covered with green grass and bushes. There are countless places to stop on the trail, peering down the mountainsides into the river valleys below. And spotting the stoic ruins sprinkled throughout.

That is what made it really special, the history of the Incas and the impressive engineering they managed without iron tools. Stepping lightly through stone ruins that have been standing for over half a millenia, admiring the exquisite stonework which allows stones of several tons to lie nearly seemlessly against the others without mortar. And yet, strong enough to withstand several centuries of strong earthquakes without showing much wear. The terraces where the archaeologists suspect the Incas engaged in horticulture experimentation -- testing various strains of crops on each terrace to see how well they weathered and performed.

Pizarro's story of the conquest of the Incas in the 1530s reads like something out of a fantasy novel; it is the quintessential conquistador epic. 200 men and horses, standing against an army of 80,000 Incas. And winning through some astute political and tactical maneuvering, a kidnapping, and impeccable timing. From a military history standpoint, very impressive stuff. It was interesting hearing some of the guides reflect upon the event as they lead you through the ruins in Cusco. For many in the Inca Empire, it was merely another change of leadership. Although these Spanish brought horses and iron and Christianity, they merely did what the Incas had done to the other nearby tribes: move in and establish control. Such was the way of the Old and New Worlds, back then. I found the people today to be pragmatic about it, without much trace of anger or hostility stemming from the colonial expansion of the Old World. Perhaps with the revolutions in the 1800s and 1900s, much of that emotion for the society has been spent.

I plan on reading more on it. And I plan on returning with Jen, she would like to see much of it.