at Cachu Cachu or the Fortress,
and resting little by little,
who doesn't want to find ...
the heart of my Marcahuasi.
In the Fortress I feel lot of emotion ... The remains of its dry stone walls represent to me the skill of the Andean, this place has been a lookout for the town, a refuge from where they were able to contemplate their enemy. Due to its capricious form, Ruzo called it "The Fortress". The people of San Pedro de Casta know it as the "Huamanvina". It has a single entrance, and its strange ruins extend over the whole summit. These remnants are an offering to which the archaeologists are invited, except that we destroy it a little bit more each time, converting it into a cemetery of rocks.
What do you think?
The author used this photo for a poster in 1990.
To camp in the Fortress is difficult due to the strong air currents, and because of the destruction to the stone walls, but there are tourists that do it, to defy the cold and the legends. It has been said that they hear voices, noises, and hear steps, steps that freeze everything .... An adventure that they never forget! From this tower we can contemplate almost all of the plateau, the cliffs, and its very own scenery at these heights, to see like the clouds do, and how the wind kisses Marcahuasi, and how the sun blackens this petrified valley.
These are moments where the peace and freedom combine, it is the birth of inspired conversations that break the boundaries of repressed questions. It is a place where your feelings confuse you ... The past is very close to the present, and from this place you can affirm that Marcahuasi is a forgotten inheritance, that is alive, ... that has a heart that beats, and that says "here i am".
Sat in the Fortress like another warrior, with a quiet panorama of the sacred mountain, you drown in the immensity of your imagination, you forget everything, and we don't want what we are living to ever end. Because as you leave this place little by little, the damned nostalgia takes over you.
Around the Fortress you enjoy a meeting with the prince, with regretful soldiers, the lost dog, and a strange hut. Besides, as eternal guardians of this watchtower of 25 to 30 metres tall, these are the Egyptian Gods, in black and white ... "I hope that you're lucky enough to meet them ..."
"... The Fortress could be the most important part of Marcahuasi, because they say that here there are communication tunnels ... I return after 5 years and this place is what I most aspire to", what a lifelong lover of Marcahuasi once said to me at midday in July 1991. Now in 2009 I wait with happiness and nostalgia to hear what you feel about the Fortress. If you've already been, or are returning, or if you don't yet know it, the fortress is where I'll wait for you
Imagine how many mysteries are hidden in this place!
Imagine it all when you find yourself in this cemetery of rocks!
[Read the original blog post (in Spanish)]
Next part : The punishments of Marcahuasi
Photos : John Ysrael Guevara