Machu Picchu, Majestic Sacred Site of the Incas

02 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by glenrogers in Huanya Picchu, Inca, Machu Picchu, Pachamama, Peru, sacred sites, Sacred Valley

Machu Picchu, sacred site of the Incas, is so breathtakingly beautiful, so majestic, it takes your breath away. It was all I had imagined, all I had hoped it would be. With the Urubamba River snaking around the valley below and the tropical jungle enveloping the nearby terrain, it was a jewel beckoning one forward. I hiked Huanya Picchu – the Mountain overlooking M.P. and felt an expansiveness and connection to those who came before me.

Connected with other sites in the Sacred Valley by roads, pathways, direction and visual cues, Machu Picchu does not stand alone in the landscape, but is part of a vast system of Inca cities. (Just like in England, where ley lines or energy lines connect the sacred sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury.) Protected by Pachamama, Mother Earth, one can feel the sensuality of the land. Because Machu Picchu is so isolated, and the trail to get there so convoluted, it is thought to have had such a special significance in the Inca kingdom that people made pilgrimages there.

Huge stones formed temples, buildings unfathomable in this isolated location. How were these boulders moved, cut, and situated with such precision? Legend tells us that they were ‘whipped into place’. Hmmm….

The Condor

The Sundial

Puquois – Beautiful Spiral Wells in Nazca, Peru

25 Monday May 2015

Posted by glenrogers in Aqueducts in Nazca, earth works, irrigation, Nazca, Peru, Robert Smithson, spiral wells, spring fed wells

≈ Leave a comment

In Nazca Peru, after flying over the mysterious lines in the desert, our guide offered to take us to the ‘Aqueducts’ or Puquois. I admit, I wasn’t really that keen on going – I was imagining Roman aqueducts that I’d seen in the past. Thank goodness I didn’t say it out loud! What a special place!

Large spirals were dug into the earth with walls created from small stones. One could walk the path down the spiral to the crystal clear source of water. These beautiful yet utilitarian structures were created by the Nazca people over 2000 years ago as a system to irrigate the arid land. There are around 36 with most still in use by local farmers.

For a spiral lover like myself, an artist who uses the spiral as inspiration and as a symbol of renewal and regeneration – this was truly a blessing. I felt connected with those who lovingly built these earthen spirals. I took a sip of the spring-fed water and felt I was back in the womb of mother earth.

These ancient earthworks brought to mind artist Robert Smithson’s ‘Spiral Getty’ in Great Salt Lake, Utah from the 1970’s. I wonder if he knew of those that came before him….

Nazca Lines – Peru

23 Saturday May 2015

Posted by glenrogers in mystery drawings, Nazca Lines, Peru

≈ Leave a comment

On May 14, 2015, I flew over the Nazca Lines in a small Cessna. We were picked up at our hotel in Lima, taxied to the bus station where we had a 7hr bus ride, taken to a hotel for the night, then picked up the next morning for our mystery flight. Yes, it was a long haul to get there – but well worth it. I would highly recommend Great Nazca Tours for their excellent care of us.

What a thrill to fly over this barren landscape and view these mysterious drawings of animals and linear designs. We saw the hummingbird, parrot, dog, hands, heron, astronaut, and tree layed out in a black and white desert – very eerie.

The drawings – from 50 to 1200 feet in length – were created by scraping away the top layer of the earth to reveal a white sandy loam. There is also an amazing spread of intersecting geometric lines and trapezoids. They were created over 2000 years ago – but by whom and for what purpose? That’s the big question. There are many theories – were they astronomical calendars, images pointing to water in the desert, or ritual/ceremonial? Since they can’t be seen as complete images from the ground – (just like crop circles) – seems to me they could have had some help – shamans or extraterrestrials??? Check out the astronaut image…..