Peru is most famous for the sacred archaeological site of Machu Picchu – visited each year by scores of intrepid hikers who brave the Inca Trail’s arduous slopes to explore the age-old ruins. The country’s attractions extend far beyond the mystical allure of this legendary location and include palm-fringed beaches, quaint Andean villages and archaeological treasures that predate Machu Picchu by hundreds of years – all imbued with the nation’s rich melange of indigenous and colonial cultures. Equally enticing are the exotic reaches of Peru’s Amazon rainforest; Lima’s superb eateries, exquisite architecture and effervescent nightlife; the glittering, mountain-ringed waters of Lake Titicaca; and the vibrant city of Cusco, referred to by the Incas as ‘the centre of the world’.
Peru’s capital is a fantastic city to tour, dotted with a multitude of cultural sites and beautifully preserved architecture. Founded by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535, Lima was first named ‘City of Kings’ – a biblical reference to the ‘Three Wise Men of the East’ – before its name was changed by the Spanish colonialists. The most significant historical buildings are located around the Plaza Mayor, the most notable being the Government Palace, where one can still observe the changing of the guard performed by the Húsares de Junín. The beautiful Cathedral and the various small palaces and colonial balconies also play also their part in the beauty of the city. Another highlight is the famed Larco Herrera Museum, documenting the millennial cultures that preceded the Inca civilization and containing a priceless collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, including some of South America's finest pre-Inca erotic pottery.
Once called the ‘Navel of the World’ by the Incas, Cuzco remains a city that blends colonial Spanish charm with older, more austere remains of pre-Columbian glory – one can still see the foundations of Inca structures on many of its city streets today. Cuzco’s most important landmarks include sites from both Inca and colonial times, such as the Korikancha (the ancient Temple of the Sun), the Inca street of Loreto with its 12-cornered stones, the cathedral, the Museum of Colonial Art, the archaeological park of Saqsaywaman (the fortress-temple), the nearby funerary shrines of Kenqo, and the water-worship site of Tambomachay.
Machu Picchu ligt op meer dan 6000 meter boven de zeespiegel in de bergtoppen van Peru en is een van's werelds meest indrukwekkende archeologische vindplaatsen. Deze legendarische verheven stad werd verlaten door het Inca-rijk, teruggewonnen door de jungle en verloren van de mensheid tot de herontdekking in 1911. Gebouwd door de Inca's op de top van “Machu Picchu” (Oude Piek), in het midden van een tropisch montane bos met uitzicht op de kloof van de Urubamba, de 'Verloren Stad van Machu Picchu' is een site van buitengewone schoonheid en enorme archeologische betekenis. Het complex weerspiegelt het Inca-rijk op zijn hoogtepunt, met gigantische muren, terrassen en hellingen die op natuurlijke wijze zijn gesneden in de ononderbroken rotswanden. De fenomenale technologische vaardigheden van de Incan ingenieurs zijn te zien in meerdere facetten van de site: de veeleisende precisie van de massieve stenen gebouwen, de waterkanalen die een diep begrip van hydraulica onthullen, en Intihuatana (“het hoogste punt van de zon”), die diende als een zonnekalender die gereguleerd planten en oogsten.
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