The Mummies of Condor Lake

Mummies can upset the best-laid plans. Last June in Leimebamba, a small town, in Peru's Department of Amazonas, the word was out: a major archaeological find at nearby Laguna de los Cóndores. I casually wangled an invitation to look at the recovered material - and found myself staring at the finest collection of Inca artifacts ever gathered in a provincial town hall.
Even a cursory inventory was mind-boggling: a large mantle so perfect it could have been woven yesterday, dozens of flawless pots, carved wooden staffs, wooden beakers, decorated gourds, an exotic carved ritual drinking vessel, several quipus. Quipus! - those rarely-found Inca recording devices made of knotted cords. Found in c

ontext, they could add much to our knowledge of Inca culture. Moreover, a number of the artifacts were clearly either not Inca, or Inca with a strong dash of other influences. One pot even showed clear signs of Spanish colonial influence; Chimu in style, it displayed a green glaze not used in Peru before the Conquest.

On the floor were four mummy bundles, tightly bound in plain, cream-colored cotton. They, too, showed no signs of decay. Up in the mountains behind us the tombs still stood with their contents largely intact.

All previous plans were off. Next day I was in Leimebamba again. A hint of mummy fever hung in the air. Tiny but unmistakable dollar signs glinted in the eyes of some townsfolk, amidst the genuine friendliness of what may someday be called The Old Leimebamba - the way it was Before the Mummies. The hastily-formed (post-Mummy) local INC committee charged me 20 soles to use a long, muddy track to a place hardly anyone went to. To them it must feel like winning the lottery.

Next morning, I rode a mule up a winding dirt trail leading into the hills east of Leimebamba, with a local wrangler named Leoncio Cotrina. This part of Peru has a long rainy season and a short dry one. Leimebamba is at a pleasant 2100 ms., so the hills around us were green and forested, with many cleared pastures. Later we climbed through reddish-brown grasslands and began to hit more and more pockets of deep black mud. Often the mules floundered up to their bellies, bucking and panicking, and we had to leap off their backs to drier ground. We ate lunch at a high pass above 3,000 ms., and then began to drop down into another watershed. The mud got steadily worse, with frequent dismounting, the patches seeming to go on for kilometers. At one quagmire we encountered Homer Ullilen, the 25-year-old owner of the homestead at Laguna de los Cóndores.Ullilen was involved in the brouhaha surrounding the discovery of the mummies. His hired hands had discovered the site, in November 1996, while he was away traveling. They began looting the mausoleums, ripping apart mummy bundles and scattering artifacts in a search for gold. This continued intermittently, in mounting frustration, for several months. They never did find any gold, but in April 1997 word leaked out in Leimebamba that a major "tapado" had been discovered at Laguna de los Cóndores, and the rest is history. Or the first chapter of a history. Since then the mummies and their attendant artifacts have been removed from the site to a conservation laboratory in Leimebamba, where scientific studies have begun.

Onward. As the trail got worse and the day grew old the exhausted mules began to earn every vile epithet and simile ever heaped on their species. Narrowly avoiding a kick like a mule as I approached to remount one last time, I was relieved to see the rancho Perla Escondida in the distance.

Perla Escondida. The Hidden Pearl. Did Homer Ullilen's father, Julio, have some prophetic vision when he named the land he hacked out of cloud forest here? Where was the pearl? Nineteen years later they found it, in the trees, on the cliffs, above the lake. A line of ancient tombs, containing the mummies of more than 200 dead men, women and children with many tales to tell. For archaeologists it is, to date, the jewel in the crown of Chachapoyan antiquity.
Our journey was not over yet. Next morning we set out on foot, guided by Homer Ullilen. He led us up the moraine, and from the top we saw for the first time the lake, and beyond it the great mountainous cliff along its southern shore, where the mausoleums were built. Through my binoculars I could see patches of what seemed like red paint, the square black hole of a window, and some spindly wooden structures.It would still take us two hours to reach the site, circling the east shore of the lake. First we had to walk along the cleared ridge top of the moraine, passing some stone mortars which the Ullilens had found years ago while clearing the forest. Subsequent investigations revealed the foundations of some 200 Chachapoyan structures here, presumably the former home of those buried in the tombs. In pre-Hispanic times this must have been a very remote spot, and one wonders why a large settlement was built here.

Urubamba: The Sacred Valley of the Incas

At dawn, a hazy mist covers the route from Cuzco to the Sacred Valley and soon Cuzco, with all its vestiges of Inca antiquity and colonial grandeur, is lost from sight. The mist, however, does not prevent one from making out the cyclopean silhouettes of the Sacsayhuaman fortress. Nor does it diminish the majesty of the Qenqo labyrinth with its zigzag carvings on the great stone, looking for all the world like some ancient altar.



Tambomachay is next, a place of ceremonial baths with carved channels and cascades standing in tribute to the skill of the Inca stonemasons and architects. Tambomachay was one of the main centers of Inca water worship and even today, a steady stream of crystalline water wells up from the earth's depths.Finally, after the bus stops winding its way through the countless curves in the road, it emerges without warning into an Andean market, a riot of color, a hive of activity and chaos punctuated by loud, shrill voices hawking the day's bargains. This is the main square of Pisac, taken over every Sunday without fail by artesanos selling local handicrafts. Residents of the Sacred Valley are not the only ones who show up on Sundays. Tourists also descend in hordes to see the colorful locals and to go to the mass, said in Quechua, after which a memorable procession leaves the church. And of course people come for the handicrafts. At this market, and at a much quieter and less touristy one on Thursdays, it is possible to buy ceramics - Pisac has Peru's best hand-painted ceramic jewelry - weavings, alpaca sweaters, woolen bags, llama rugs and much more.

Pisac is a colonial town built on the ruins of an Inca citadel by Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, whose government, among other exploits, was responsible for hanging, drawing and quartering the last Inca rebel, Tupac Amaru. The town stands at the entrance to the Sacred Valley. It is an immensely fertile area irrigated by the Willkamayu or Vilcanota River, which further downstream, running through stretches at times torrential and at other times calm, becomes the Urubamba.

Here it is possible to see how Incan agronomists were able to grow crops on the steep mountainsides. The problem: how to retain rain water for crops on the 45° slopes. The solution: terraces. The Incas built the terraces two to three meters wide and used them with great success to feed their huge empire. Mao Tse Tung later borrowed the idea to solve a similar problem in China, as can be seen at Tachay, one of the finest examples of crop terracing in the world. The terraces in the Andes are beautifully built and blend in perfectly with nature. From a bird's eye view, the mountains look as if they were built in concentric circles.

Incan agricultural ingenuity is manifested in other ways as well. Near Pisac the Urubamba River is very straight in comparison with other areas. The Incas formed that section, more than three kilometers long, into a canal so that the land surrounding it could be farmed efficiently. It is the largest pre-Columbian canal in North and South America.

In the mountains above Pisac, an ancient cemetery keeps watch over the town. It is possibly the biggest find of its kind and, according to local legend, there is a figure of stone there decorated with the most beautiful flowers of the empire. It is Inkill Chumpi, the lovely and sweet daughter of Hualla Puma who was turned to stone after disobeying the mysterious and sacred bird, the Qoriquenke, that had been brought there by Asto Rimac, the prince of the Huallas who ruled in Antisuyo.

Passing through nearby Qoya and Lamay one arrives in Yucay and Calca, which were, according to historical legend, the favorite haunts of Inca Wiracocha, and the place from which the Inca's captains sallied forth to subdue the rebellious people of Pisac. Wiracocha ruled over a kingdom beset with internal unrest at a time when the Inca `Empire' measured no more than six miles around; the vast empire of the Inca, known as Tahuantinsuyo, would come later. Tired from a life spent dealing with troublesome chieftains, Wiracocha eventually abdicated and withdrew from public life to spend his final years enjoying the comforts of his small palace at Calca.
Now, only some insignificant ruins remain in Calca, nothing that would conjure up images of its Inca past. Yucay is a prettier, more interesting village with a 300-year old hacienda that has been converted into one of the Sacred Valley's ritziest hotels. One of the rooms is even supposed to be haunted. Next up is Moray, a place where one can see four circular and concentric stone constructions forming a series of rings. They are supported by stone walls, and surrounding the main construction are terraces that form a type of horseshoe. It is believed that the Incas used the rings, and their varying microclimates, for agricultural experiments. Others believe the rings could have been an amphitheater for civic or religious ceremonies.

In Maras one can see mules loaded with sacks of salt from the natural salt pans at the end of town. It is difficult to reach the site, but is worth a visit as these salt pans are believed to have been in use since the Inca era.

Farther along the right bank of the Sacred River is Urubamba, also known as the Pearl of the Vilcanota, owing to the beauty of its countryside. Then comes the archeological complex of Ollantaytambo. It was the Spaniards that christened it the Fortress of Ollantaytambo. It is a geometrically perfect town with straight streets, trapezoidal doors, and walls carved with beautifully delicate designs. In order to get to the Inca ruins above one must climb a series of well-laid out steps. The air is thin, but guides will urge visitors onward with the promise that it is well worth the effort. Most impressive is the main temple with its double façade featuring six monoliths assembled out of rose-colored granite. It looks as if these granite blocks are welded together, but they are not. The blocks were brought from the distant quarries of Cachicata, but how did Incan masons transport the gigantic structures across gorges, rivers and other obstacles separating the distance? It is a much-pondered mystery.

For those unfamiliar with the legend, the ruins of Ollantaytambo - now sadly somewhat overrun by vendors - are named after Ollanta, an Inca hero who rose to the rank of general through his warrior prowess. Ollanta fell in love with Cusi Coyllur, or "Happy Star," the favorite daughter of the Inca Pachacutec and asked to marry her.


Pacacutec refused, however; it was impossible for a member of the monarchy to marry a commoner, even one who was a military leader. Thus scorned, Ollanta rebelled against his sovereign and defeated his troops with an army led by his lieutenant, Rumiñahui. The Inca Pachacutec died in the fighting and was succeeded by his son, Yupanqui. Rumiñahui, deciding he had more of a future as a loyal subject, betrayed Ollanta and took him prisoner. The new Inca, however, remembered Ollanta's past heroism, showed clemency and even allowed him to marry princess Cusi Coyllur. Like a fairy tale, the newlyweds lived happily ever after and had a daughter, Ima Sumac, or "Morning Star," a legendary beauty in her own right. Visitors lucky enough to be at Ollantaytambo at sunset will likely wax poetical about the delicate interplay of light and dark that emphasizes the contours of the buildings while throwing other parts into shadow. The effect enhances the aura of mystery that surrounds the place and seems to symbolize the struggle between life and death.

The Vilcanota River has witnessed the Valley's history in silence, and continues to flow through the region as it has since the dawn of time. Although it is at times boxed in, roaring and lashing out in fury at being confined, the river mostly flows placidly through open country, turning the land every imaginable shade of green and providing life-giving sustenance for the largest and sweetest maize in Peru. The locals consider the maize that grows in the Sacred Valley a gift from God. However, the area is also famous for its thriving wildlife, and is a haven for foxes, partridges, deer, kestrels, and, soaring way up in the sky, the condor. Returning to Cuzco, one can take the longer route that passes through Chinchero, with architecture that is a balance of Inca and Spanish Colonial, surrounded by the snow-covered mountains of Chicon and Wekey Willca. Off to one side there are two types of terracing: one for growing crops and the other for containing mud slides, which were as much a source of concern for Inca engineers as they are today. Like Pisac, the main square in Chinchero doubles as a handicraft market on Sundays.
There is a legend that maintains the town was the birthplace of the rainbow and there is a special rainbow ceremony on May 2. From an architectural standpoint, the Sacred Valley route is truly admirable in that Inca architects believe in the importance of not divorcing men from their surroundings. Instead, they strove to combine human necessities with what the earth, air, landscape, sky, and nature already offered. There was a strong sense of ecology as well, something that would not again be fashionable for hundreds of years. The Inca were not alone in their respect for the environment and their desire to erect buildings in harmony with it. In Kampuchea, the temples and homes in Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat are examples of man and nature working together, like the parts of a clock.

Perhaps because of this Inca world view, many people believe there is something mystical about the Sacred Valley. Machu Picchu in particular is viewed as a center of energy and there have been UFO sittings near the Huapo Lagoon; the area has become an important destination on the New Age travel circuit. The sun will have long since faded by the time the visitor returns to Cuzco, but memories of the Sacred Valley will have not. The mystery and majesty of the place are sure to remain for a long time.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a city located high in the Andes Mountains in modern Peru. It lies 43 miles northwest of Cuzco at the top of a ridge, hiding it from the Urabamba gorge below. The ridge is between a block of highland and the massive Huaynac Picchu, around which the Urubamba River takes a sharp bend. The surrounding area is covered in dense bush, some of it covering Pre-Colombian cultivation terraces.

Machu Picchu (which means "manly peak") was most likely a royal estate and religious retreat. It was built between 1460 and 1470 AD by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, an Incan ruler. The city has an altitude of 8,000 feet, and is high above the Urubamba River canyon cloud forest, so it likely did not have any administrative, military or commercial use. After Pachacuti’s death, Machu Picchu became the property of his allus, or kinship group, which was responsible for it’s maintenance, administration, and any new construction.

Machu Picchu is comprised of approximately 200 buildings, most being residences, although there are temples, storage structures and other public buildings. It has polygonal masonry, characteristic of the late Inca period.

About 1,200 people lived in and around Machu Picchu, most of them women, children, and priests. The buildings are thought to have been planned and built under the supervision of professional Inca architects. Most of the structures are built of granite blocks cut with bronze or stone tools, and smoothed with sand. The blocks fit together perfectly without mortar, although none of the blocks are the same size and have many faces; some have as many as 30 corners. The joints are so tight that even the thinnest of knife blades can't be forced between the stones. Another unique thing about Machu Picchu is the integration of the architecture into the landscape. Existing stone formations were used in the construction of structures, sculptures are carved into the rock, water flows through cisterns and stone channels, and temples hang on steep precipices.

The houses had steep thatched roofs and trapezoidal doors; windows were unusual. Some of the houses were two stories tall; the second story was probably reached by ladder, which likely was made of rope since there weren’t many trees at Machu Picchu’s altitude. The houses, in groups of up to ten gathered around a communal courtyard, or aligned on narrow terraces, were connected by narrow alleys. At the center were large open squares; livestock enclosures and terraces for growing maize stretched around the edge of the city.

The Incas planted crops such as potatoes and maize at Machu Picchu. To get the highest yield possible, they used advanced terracing and irrigation methods to reduce erosion and increase the area available for cultivation. However, it probably did not produce a large enough surplus to export agricultural products to Cuzco, the Incan capital.

One of the most important things found at Machu Picchu is the intihuatana, which is a column of stone rising from a block of stone the size of a grand piano. Intihuatana literally means ‘for tying the sun", although it is usually translated as "hitching post of the sun". As the winter solstice approached, when the sun seemed to disappear more each day, a priest would hold a ceremony to tie the sun to the stone to prevent the sun from disappearing altogether. The other intihuatanas were destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors, but because the Spanish never found Machu Picchu, it remained intact. Mummies have also been found there; most of the mummies were women.

Few people outside the Inca’s closest retainers were actually aware of Machu Picchu’s existence. Before the Spanish conquistadors arrived, the smallpox spread ahead of them. Fifty percent of the population had been killed by the disease by 1527. The government began to fail, part of the empire seceded and it fell into civil war. So by the time Pizarro, the Inca’s conquerer, arrived in Cuzco in 1532, Machu Picchu was already forgotten.

Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, a professor from Yale. Bingham was searching for Vilcabamba, which was the undiscovered last stronghold of the Incan empire. When he stumbled upon Machu Picchu, he thought he had found it, although now most scholars believe that Machu Picchu is not Vilcabamba. Machu Picchu was never completely forgotten, as a few people still lived in the area, where they were "free from undesirable visitors, officials looking for army ‘volunteers’ or collecting taxes", as they told Bingham.