Our mind set for the reasoning in why we went to Machu Piccu was to learn more about the Incas, the Quechua’s ancestors, and to see one of the seven wonders of the world. As we learned in our book, the culture of the Quechua women and their ancestors guided the newer generations of Incas and their discoveries in history. We learned about the overtaking of the Incas when the Spanish invaded and took their families and their homes. We reiterated on the dispute between the United States holdings over Hiram Bingham’s findings of over 64,000 artifacts and Peru’s attempt to reclaim its belongings.
We woke up at 4 am. Then we went to the lobby to meet out guide and we were given breakfast in paper bags. We then took the bus up to Machu Picchu. We then hiked up to an overlooking point of Machu Picchu and the lost Inca city. Our guide gave us a vigorous discussion on the history of the Incas and Machu Picchu. After, we hiked to the summit of Sun gate. The Sun gate is where the Inca Trail comes into Machu Picchu. After we reached Sun Gate, we were prompted to write in our journals about our values and who we were influenced by in our lives. While we were writing these, we were sitting upon the rocks of Sun Gate overlooking the peaks of Machu Picchu and all the beautiful scenery around it. We then hiked back down and were given free time to split into small groups and roam the land of the ruins. We all met up again at twelve and a few of us got our passport stamped with the Machu Picchu stamp. We then rode the bus back down. Once in the city, we got lunch and then headed on our way to the train. We had some difficulty finding the train station but we did it!
~ Peyton Harrell ’21
