subject: Visiting Peru [print this page] The ruins of the ancient town Machu Picchu are considered to be one of the most important archeological sites on this planet and the construction of that town cannot be explained by the scientists who gaze in wonder how Incas have managed to move these huge stones and transformed them to architectural adornments. Machu Picchu is a town hidden in Andes Mountains and not discovered before the 20th century, mysterious with a charming and definitely unique beauty.
Far from that, Peru has a very important characteristic; its people are still pure Peruvians who have resisted the international influence that would erase their cultural specific traditions. They have preserved their original ethnic identity, their language, their customs, even their music. Thanks to these people their civilization is still alive and they seem unspoiled from the modern societies where goods consumption and money dominate our lives.
Peru is a country full of mysteries. The most strange thing one could see there is the famous lines of Nazca dessert. Various geometrical shapes appear on the 5000 km2 surface of the dessert and can be seen only from high above. What makes them even more strange is how they were created as well as by whom. Several opinions have been expressed concerning their origin but nothing has been proved yet.
After the exciting view to the Nazca lines, the plane flies over Cuzco city, the centre of Incas Empire with a more than 3,000 years ago history. It is situated on a 3,850 m altitude and according to several myths it was founded by Manco Capac, the first leader of Incas dynasty, in the 11th century. The town is composed of a mixture of Indian architecture with the intervention of the Spanish conquerors resulting in an amazing architectural complex. The people of Cuzco are really poor and their daily life is very hard. On the other side, visitors struggle to get used to the altitude that causes strong headaches and dizziness.
Driving in a road constructed among Andes Mountains can offer you unique sceneries thus a camera is highly recommended. It takes more than ten hours to drive from Cuzco to Puno town which is located near the borders between Peru and Bolivia. I will talk you about in a next article because I have not managed to organize all this material I collected from it!
