Our speaker was Gloria Camino, who spoke of the history, culture, significance, and beauty of Machu Picchu. Her talk was illustrated by many slides, many of them of her own but also historic images taken in 1911, and others too.
Sue, our Chair, was away, so Terry introduced Gloria and gave the inevitable notices at the beginning.
Gloria asked how many of the audience had been to Machu Picchu, and a surprisingly large number had!
She explained that the Spanish had not discovered Machu Picchu so it was unspoiled when discovered in 1911 by Highram Billingham III - though there had been some visitors before, several of whom had looted it.
The reason for its existence is not known with any certainty - theories include a Royal Retreat for recreation, relaxation etc. and a place of learning.
The Inca's did not have writing, so there are no written records, though they did have an amazingly accurate way of keeping numeric records - Khipu - knotted cords of different colours, which enabled accurate records to be kept - of taxation, of population and so on
The construction is amazing, with about 2/3 of the labour going into ground preparations - intricate terracing, essential to enable agriculture in the steep, mountainous region.
Drainage was also essential in view of the high rainfall.
The site is laid out to a distinct plan - a mixture of Agricultural, and two zones of buildings.
Buildings are constructed of natural stone, and precisely shaped to fit the contours of the rocks that are included in the buildings. The stone was quarried on the mountain side, and shaped with a variety of tools with great precision and skill.
Noteable buildings include the Temple of the Condor, a skilled mix of natural, in situ features and hand cut blocks. The slab in the foreground becomes the Condor' beak.
We were told of the discovery of Machu Picchu - how HIghram was on his second visit to the area, with a team of expert researchers. They were told of the existence of the place, but only HIghram went with a local guide and his miliary escort; the journey involved a terrifying crossing of a river on a precarious log bridge, and a 2 hour climb. The place was severely overgrown, having been abandoned for hundreds of years - and this is probably why the Spanish never found it, it was camouflaged by the vegetation
Culturally, the Incas believed that everything had a spirit, so should be treated with respect - and hence their inclusion of natural rock in their constructions. The site is aligned with nearby mountains, and there is significance here too.
The belief system included 3 levels, the level of the sun, at the top; this level, and a lower mysterious underworld.
The Temple of the Moon (left) is an example of the buildings being "fitted into" the topography - its roof is a massive rock structure and the building has been precisely fitted beneath.
In the Temple of the Sun, a window was precisely aligned to the Winter Solstice - in the Southern Hemisphere, 21 June.
This was a wonderful talk, full of detail, brilliant images (the ones here are generally from Wikipedia, Goodfreephotos.com, pixabay.com, and the ones of the meeting by Andy Pedley. Gloria concluded with some travel tips and a recommendation that we visit - but book a package with a reliable agent to avoid a stressful time.