Patricio Mendez from the University of Alberta, Alberto Bejarano from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, and Harry Bhadeshia from the University of Cambridge, visited Machu Picchu during August of 2018. Machu Picchu was an Inca settlement built around 1450 with breathtaking engineering. It was abandoned under a potential threat from the Spanish invaders, although they never discovered the existence of Picchu.
Some photographs courtesy of Patricio Mendez.

At the airport in Lima (Jorge Chavez International Airport), awaiting departure to Cusco |

From Lima, we would fly to Cusco, followed by a train and car journey to get to Machu Picchu. |

The trio inside the Peruvian Airlines plane to Cusco |

In Cusco Airport. Advertisements for garments made from Alpaca fleece, which is soft to touch. |

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This is Cusco, a significant city in southeastern Peru. Often spelt Cuzco or Quosco. |

It is about 3400 metres above sea level, and a jumping off point for travel to Machu Picchu. |

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At the train station in Cusco |

On our way to Machu Picchu |

Fish-plate joints on the rail |

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The church in the background was built on an original Inca place of worship by the Spanish invaders. The Inca construction method made their structures earthquake resistant, so in 1950 during a major earthquake, the spanish carbuncle collapsed and had to be reconstructed, but the Inca component did not. |

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Alberto, looking like an explorer. |

A special flower local to Cusco |

The Inca/Spanish church in Cusco |

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This is the original Inca part of the now church. |

The Inca were masters at granite constructions that did not use cement. |

This was built later by the Spanish when they converted the Inca place of worship to a catholic church. |

The main motivation for the Spanish in Peru was the gold and other precious metals. |

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There are many locations in Cusco where the original Inca constructions survive. Only mechanical keying held these huge granite stones together. |

Cusco is a major tourist attraction and the local people are friendly and helpful. |

Notice the way in which the stones are placed, with careful mechanical keying. |

There are some small protrusions on the stones which are configured to interact with sunlight. The Inca worshipped the sun. |

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The beautiful scenary on the car journey from Cusco towards Machu Picchu |

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Notice the snow-capped mountains in the background. |

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Stunning cloud formations |

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It was easy to find vegetarian and vegan food everywhere we visited in Peru |

This is a town very near Machu Picchu, from where we would go by a short bus ride up a mountain to Picchu. |

We are now in MACHU PICCHU :) |

Extremely rugged and mountainous territory |

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How the Inca managed to construct Machu Picchu in this location inspires awe. |

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There must have been tremendous forces of nature to extrude these mountains. |

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Harry, Patricio and Alberto |

Harry, Patricio and Alberto |

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Hard to believe. The citadel became covered by jungle after it was abandoned by the Inca |

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Close to the clouds |

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Really close to the clouds |

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Machu Picchu is at about 2500 metres above sea level |

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There are about 6000 visitors per day. |

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In the clouds |

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Terraces for farming |

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In the centre is our guide, perfect English and Spanish, deeply knowledgeable. |

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The Urbamba river. |

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Living dangerously, at the edge of a precipice. |

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These are Lama droppings |

In the middle is the temple of the Sun |

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The houses had a sophisticated drainage system to lead the rain water away in a systematic manner. |

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It takes many hours of arduous walking to see the citadel in all its glory. |

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As you will see later, the cylindrical protrusios carved integral to the stones were there to tie the grass roofs on to the stone structures. |

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Notice the sophisticated mechanical keying which made these structures earthquake resistant. |

Notice the sophisticated mechanical keying which made these structures earthquake resistant. |

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Mechanical keying held the structures together without anything cementatious between the stones. |

This is the Sun Temple. |

The steps indicate the past, present and the future. |

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Amazing workmanship. |

Chinchillas are rodents that are native to the Andes Mountains in South America. They live in colonies and are found at high elevations |

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Chinchillas |

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Lama and baby Lama |

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Calm and peaceful creatures |

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Luxury Perurail travel back from Machu Picchu, almost all the way to Cusco |

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A traditional devil in the train, along with a fashion show. |

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The devil was quite friendly. |
Happened to be the first Sunday of the month, when the town celebrates the flag.

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The traditional market in Cusco. |

The traditional market in Cusco. |

The traditional market in Cusco. |

Teeming with people. |

Street celebrations |

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Soldiers were a part of the celebrations. |

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Cusco is at a greater altitude than Machu Picchu. We visited the Inca fort where they made the "last stand" against the gun-equipped Spanish invaders. The Inca were winning but were betrayed. The altitude made Harry breathless during the climb. |

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Fortress above Cusco where Incan's had their last stand for Cusco |

The fort is an engineering marvel made of granite, again using the mechanical keying concept. |

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Spectacular views of the surrounding city of Cusco |

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The smooth rocks were machined into those shapes by glaciers in very ancient times. Still inside the fort. |

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Spectacular glacial action evident in the rocks. |

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Here you can see the machining marks |

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Alberto in a commanding position on the highest rock in the fort, with the clouds behind configured in the form of the wings of a Condor. |

Some of the rocks showed optical activity. Here without polarised light. |

When viewed through polarised spectacles. |

View from plane on the flight back from Cusco to Lima. |