Another Day at Machu Picchu!

Today is a National Teacher’s Strike. All trains, flights and roads are closed until at the afternoon. Yippee!!!  I decided to spend the morning photographing at Machu Picchu, so after breakfast I packed and left my bags at the hotel’s front desk. 

Then joined Eva, Leontine, Greg and Adrille for the bus that took us up the mountain. Once through the main gate, we split up — Greg and Adrille headed off to climb Huayna Picchu, Eva went off to work with her mesa, and Leontine and I went our separate ways photographing.

My first stop was another favorite place. The following information is from Jose Luis two-years ago when I was here with him.

Temple of the Condor

The niches above the temple could have been where mummies were stored so that the “condor” could take their souls to the Hanaqpacha.

The “head” and “beak” of this condor were used in ceremony — chicha or corn beer was poured into the trough at the “head” and allowed to run down the “beak” and absorbed into Pachamama. Condors are monogamous in their mating.

A trademark of the Inka was to organize human expression around the expression of Pachamama (nature). The altar above the Temple of the Condor would be used to embody the archetype of the condor; to find personal vision.

Vision is a “map” of a domain of consciousness that includes the process of Creation. Therefore, when one asks for vision they are asking for a map of Creation. The less attachment one has to outcome, the more open they are to receive vision. When vision is received, passion must be generated to “grow” it. 

Then one must practice responsibility in order to direct the passion into the inspiration. In our Western culture we have many attachments to outcome, which limits our “vision.”

Many areas within Machu Picchu were crudely reconstructed and do not reflect th original precision of the Inka stonework. Today, more precise restoration is employed. There may have Reconstruction of stonework been adobe houses for the workers as well. There is a hypothesis that Machu Picchu was already part of religious/scientific culture before Pachakuti’s reign, which would make the site much older than is generally accepted. It was designed as a nation onto itself. Archeologist Maryann Kendall, who lived for more than 10 years in the vicinity, concluded that there must have been a large population that needed all of the agricultural production that was produced at Machu Picchu and at its 30+ satellite sites along the Inka Trail. Machu Picchu may have been the capital of this mini-nation.

Next, I headed to the House of the Chosen Women — the Virgins of the Sun.

Virgins of the Sun

The women at Machu Picchu were responsible for the preparation of food and clothing. They lived in the lower area adjacent to the grass plaza. The men lived above the plaza. The “chosen” women served either the Sun God (Inka ruler) and were pure. 

“Virgins of the Sun” is also an expression of Pachamama (eternal feminine) in service to the sun and keeper of the sacred fire that burned continuously, representing the four quadrants of consciousness. The women that lived in the “House of the Chosen
Women” were vital to the empire because they could be given to a conquered ruler in order to seal the conquest and make the alliance secure.

The two circular basins in the “House of the Chosen Women” were possibly used as mortars to tell time. They are in orientation to the equinoxes and solstices. At these times the sun would cast light across a basin and illuminate the corresponding doorway.

The basins are also in alignment with the “llama eyes” of Alpha and Beta Centauri, according to archeologist Brian Bauer. Possibly the windows create a triangulation that allowed for the celestial mapping. It was originally believed that only the remains of women were found at Machu Picchu, however, there is debate whether or not this was an accurate interpretation.

Also on my list of must-visit is the Pachamama Stone. Enroute are lots of opportunities to photograph the wonderful staircases and vistas.

Pachamama Stone

This is a sacred rock; an apu stone that mimics the shape of the mountains that are directly behind it (yanantin). It was hoisted up and moved to this site.

Having paid my respects at each of these places, I ran around trying to photograph where tourists weren't ...

Shortly before our group’s agreed upon lunch, I took the bus back down to Agua Calliente. Afterwards, we reconvened at the hotel for a final meeting. There, Jose Luis told us:

• We have been the first Westerners to receive Altomesayoq rites in the traditional way from Altomesayoqs as well as converse with apus.

• Our homework assignments:​

1. JL will send us two prayers to call Senor Toreychayoq (Waikay Wilkey);
2. Create cekes to our ito apu and the winged-ones that we’ve begun working;
3. Share our experiences only with those people we know hold high affinities; disclose only that which is necessary;
4. To be done monthly:

• ​​Create despachos on full moons, from our heart, to create cekes of higher power;
• Sit in darkness for 20 minutes to find light in our heart — other senses will
• Begin to develop, especially hearing — and develop relationships with the apus and Santa Tierras  — we may not be able to manifest them, but we will begin physically hear them through our mesa. What is needed is prayer, to hold space, and stillness — move beyond thought.
• Bathe kuyus in red wine (infuses kausay) and then expose them to sunlight — always in prayer;
• Stay in touch with this allyu (i.e. dreamtime, synchronized despachos, mastay, etc.) — hold space for each other;

Jose Luis goes on to tell us that we have been instructed by the apus to stay together as an allyu — as such, we will meet again, a “building block” to this journey in order to awaken the mountain spirits of the United States; sometime during the winter at a location in the U.S. for 2 days.

He then went on to give us each personal instructions, and charged us with assisting each other to attain these goals. He reminded us that this is an allyu and our journey is “collective.” My instruction was to: “Sit longer with your heart. Go beyond the model of loving that you have mastered in order to find the essential so your kausay flows strong. This will improve your health."

Then Adolopho told us to:

• Exercise patience;
• Create and hold sacred space — the winged-ones will come;
• Hopes the seeds flourish in our hearts so we can feed others;
• By coming together we can create a full garden;
• Pachamama and the apus are continually assisting our transformation;
• As we create cekes to higher affinities and become more open and available, God will have a more tangible manifestation in our lives;
• We all have apu benefactors — we need to find ours in dreamtime. To do this, we need to look inside of our hearts;
• We must work to bring our mesa into its full expression. Go past denial. Love will bring us wholeness.
  

​
In summation Jose Luis said:

• Don’t create meaning from your head; only your heart.
• Join me and other paqos energetically on August 1 for a nighttime celebration by doing a full accounting of the previous year (8/04-8/05); take it to the fire; renew your kausay; create/strengthen your cekes to the mountain spirits and conditions that empower us. Put everything that disempowers you into a despacho that holds elements of your land/reality, and burn it at night.
• Your mesas are ready to communicate with Spirit due to the rites that have been sealed by all of the blessings of the apus.
  

The train we were to take back to Ollantaytambo was postponed until 5:30 p.m. due to the volume of people who have been inconvenienced by the National Teacher’s Strike. When we finally reached Ollantaytambo, Walter was waiting to drive us to Cuzco where we quickly dropped off our luggage, and then went on to Jose Luis’ home for a late dinner, thank you’s and “farewells for now”. 

By the time we returned to the San Agustin Hotel, I was too tired to pack — a job to tackle in the morning!