4. Machu Picchu

I lie in bed listening to the rain hit the hotel rooftop and hope it will stop soon.  I glance at the clock…  3:17 a.m.  I have to be up in two hours…  I roll over and snuggle into the covers hoping this downpour will pass so I can photograph Machu Picchu in the early morning light as I’d envisioned.  But that might not happen…  My mind flashes back to a trip to Switzerland years ago when I wasn’t able to see a single Swiss Alp because of fog.  I know that could happen here, too.  Thank goodness I’m staying at the hotel next to the entrance of Machu Picchu.  I was able to walk over and explore the Incan site just before sunset, after the bus loads of people who are staying in the village had left.  A small handful of hotel guests, some lamas and I had the citadel to ourselves.  As the sun slowly dipped, it created a peaceful setting for me to create some images while I imagined life in the 15th century Incan Empire.  As I roamed with my lens, I thought about what Dr. Jean-Jacques Decanter, a well-known anthropologist and expert on the Incan Empire, told me just a few days ago.  From his presentation, I learned that the Incas fled once they learned the Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro was en route to destroy their civilization.  The Spaniards were mystified when they arrived and found little proof of the group’s existence aside from the walls.  “Incas were the children of the Gods,” Dr. Decanter said.  “And it was the great explorer Hiram Bingham who brought these people back to life with his rediscovery of Machu Picchu in the early 1900s.”  I was fascinated to learn about Hiram Bingham and his excavation in Peru, which was supported by the National Geographic Society and featured on the front cover of a 1913 issue of National Geographic magazine.  Yesterday, in preparation for my journey here, I researched his excavation.  I found many photos of him, as well as an image of the 25-cent edition of National Geographic that featured his findings.  Who would have guessed that the work of Bingham and his team would bring people from all over the world — myself included — to this beautiful, historical site more than 100 years later…  Still unable to sleep, I get out of bed and walk to the window.  I peer into the total darkness.  I’ll be here for just a few hours in the morning before traveling to Cusco, so I say a little prayer that the rain will stop.  I want to see and photograph some parts of Machu Picchu I wasn’t able to get to yesterday.  Dr. Decanter mentioned a significant tree that has been standing since the days of the empire, and I’d like to photograph it.  “During the excavation a single gold bracelet was uncovered near it,” he said.  “It was the only piece of jewelry that was found.”  That delicate trinket seems like proof of the culture that once was, and for some reason, it’s touching to me.  Maybe it’s because I think of the person who might have worn it and what it was like for them to flee this magnificent place…