—Francisco Pizarro, 1531
Putucusi, Quechua for “Happy Mountain”, is a round-shaped mountain located on the opposite side (northeast) of the Urubamba (Vilcanota) River to Machu Picchu in the Cusco region of Peru. Reaching 2,560 meters (≈ 8,500 feet) above sea level at its peak, the mountain offers epic views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding Urubamba River Valley.
We arrived in Peru on an early AA flight with only 45 minutes to catch our next plane to Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca empire. Barely making it (and only possible because we didn't check bags and skipped through a couple of lines here and there on our way through customs, airport tax and inspection), we landed in Cusco at 6AM. By 830, we had checked in, had changed and had made our way down to the town's main square to have some breakfast and soak up the atmosphere.
The town is magnificent, bred in the Cuscan school of art which brought together both Incan and Spanish traditions in the creation of what is now considered a very spiritual matrimony. We took in the land and spent the day walking the town before making our first trek up the hill to Sacsayhuamán (also known as Saksaq Waman), an Inca walled complex near the old city of Cusco. Some believe the walls of the complex were a form of fortification, while others believe it was only used to form the head of the Puma that Sacsayhuamán along with Cusco form when seen from above. Like much Inca stonework, there is still mystery surrounding how they were constructed. The structure is built in such a way that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the limestone blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the ruins survive devastating earthquakes in Cusco. The longest of three walls is about 400 meters. They are about 6 meters tall. Estimated volume of stone is over 6,000 cubic meters. Estimates for the largest limestone block vary from 128 to almost 200 tons.
The Spanish harvested a large quantity of rock from the walls of the structure to build churches in Cusco, which is why the walls are in perfect condition up to a certain height, and missing above that point. Sacsayhuamán is also noted for an extensive system of underground passages known as chincanas which connect the fortress to other Inca ruins within Cusco. Several people have died after becoming lost while seeking a supposed treasure buried along the passages. This has led the city of Cusco to block off the main entrance to the chincanas in Sacsayhuamán.
We spent our second afternoon at Sacsayhuamán and, as you'll see in the photos I've posted below, even ran into a group of kids from the school "La Merced" who made their mark.
REGARDING THE PHOTO ALBUM I HAVE POSTED, IT HAS ALMOST 400 IMAGES, STARTING FROM CUSCO (click on the slideshow at the bottom of this post)
-SACSAYWAYMAN images start at 52
-PUTUCUSI images start at 130
-MACHU PICCHU images start at 181
-LIMA images start at 313
A couple of days later, we made our way, by train and in part along the famous Inca Trail, to the base of a series of mountains in the heart of the Andes for what would be the trek of a lifetime. The train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (a small town of only 2,000 inhabitants at the base of a mountain called Putucusi, which faces the mountains of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, was an experience in itself. It took us riding across 5 rail exchanges just to get over the mountain range above Cusco (back and forth, literally climbing the mountain, before crossing over into agricultural heartland on the way into the thick of the Andes). Once we got to Aguas Calientes, the girl that picked us up walked us to our amazing eco-lodge (RUPA WASI LODGE, where we checked into the most gorgeous tree-house at the edge of the Urubamba River) and told us of other things to do in town (not much). Since we had the afternoon to ourselves before the morning trek to the Inca sanctuary we had travelled to visit, she suggested a hike up the nearby mountain of Putucusi. She warned us it was no ordinary hike, a steep vertical climb over 8,000 feet into the sky, but promised unparalleled views. Although the view of Machu Picchu from the summit is breathtaking, perhaps the most defining feature of Mt. Putucusi is the challenging trek up. Not knowing what we were up against, we took the challenge.
I have never felt so scared for my life during a trek, with not only a feeling that I would perish on the way up, but with the constant question in my head of how the hell I planned to get down. The first third of the climb was through forest, old vertical ladders (two literally over 1,000 feet high) nailed to the mountain (that's me on the tallest pictured above). Each ladder posed new challenges (some steps missing, others terribly sketchy or shaky). The next section involved scaling the mountain (keeping low), using rocks as support at terribly exhausting angles, ascending in switchback fashion. I was petrified, my fear of heights exasperated. At times I couldn't bear to turn around and take in the atmosphere around us. We were scaling the eastern part of the mountain on a 50 degree angle at times. To think of nothing behind or below me for miles was threatening beyond belief. The final section, less steep and more visually rewarding, was unreal. Not only were we surrounded by hundreds of mountaintops around us, with the valley and town now many thousands of feet below with nothing in between us and God's power, but we were now among the birds taking it in alone and completely wide-eyed. There were so many mountains, the views were so severe and wonderful. We were part of these mountain tops and they were becoming a part of us. Nothing could have prepared us for this expedition; dreams can't describe this feeling. Reaching the top, and seeing Macchu Picchu from there first was the most rewarding part of all. We stayed on top of Putucusi for an hour, only making our way back because nightfall was close and we knew the trek down would take at least some time. In the end, the walk down was much different than expected. I had overcome my fear of heights and now felt one with the mountains. Having hugged our way up to the top of just one of them with our bare hands, we had become a part of them.
Putucusi, Machu Picchu (“Old Peak”) and Huayna Picchu (“Young Peak”) are considered apus, or holy mountains, by the local Quechua people. I slept and woke in our tree hut with a blissful smile on my face, an accomplished adventure I could never have imagined possible and never would have attempted had we known the actual level of difficulty and danger. We listened to the morning rain and imagined the life of an Inca, understanding their mysticism more than predicted possible. By the time we arrived to the sanctuary of Macchu Picchu (which one arrives at on perfectly coordinated buses taking tourists up its mountain along a 20-minute zig-zaged road facing Putucusi), we knew we had already experienced the land in an entirely different way. The views from Machu Picchu of our mountain, the mighty Putucusi, gave us a whole new light to appreciate the world in which the Incas lived.
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