Day 7 - 2nd day at MP, exploring Aguas Caliente

 On this 2nd day at MP we ascended seemingly endless staircases to the top of the complex. The views were iconic.  While these are the views we see in the travel posters they were little better than what we saw yesterday.  We spent some time appreciating the mountains and the gorgeous clouds and sky.  We headed back down, appreciating again the incredible engineering and craftsmanship .

The crowds this morning were large and the lines to get in long  However waits were not long and once inside we did not feel crowded.  All in all MP is well organized and set up.  While it is impressive and unique, MP in my opinion would not be worth the travel effort by itself.  Combined with Urubamba and other Andean sites the total is compelling.  The accomplishments of the Inca are truly remarkable- particularly when you consider the status of other cultures during the period of their development  (1200 to 1500).  The behavior of the Spanish is particularly reprehensible in this context.- they destroyed an advanced civilization.

We explored Aguas Caliente in the afternoon and then a night walk with Patti exploring the local sculptures scattered through the upper reaches of the town.  A simple but tasty local style pizza dinner satisfied our needs.  We were particularly impressed with the way the town merged with the mountainside - as much vertical as horizontal!








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