An Incan Temple

As I followed my friends into the cave I got scared when I heard Julian say, "the rock is bleeding!" and ran out. But I just had to see what was in side. Holding Nina's hand, we walked along the stone carved walkway. Precipices dropped down on either side and in the middle of the chamber we saw the king sized bed slab of rock where the moonlight shined in through a window. On sight, we instantly knew this was a sacrificial chamber. When I saw water dripping right out of the wall like the blood of the rock, the eeriness overcame me.

Nina and I ran out of the chamber and found a set of stares carved into solid rock that wound around to another face of the temple. The flat spot near the main chamber entrance was surrounded by delicately carved figures of animals, stares that only led to the sky, and overlooking thrones. It felt like an amphitheatre. We sat in the thrones for awhile, visualizing the sacrificer leading in a willing young woman to offer to the God of the Puma and the nobility watching from the thrones. Winston and I sat contemplating the opening for awhile, but decided not to go in, fearful of disturbing the spirits in the cave.

When the other two disappeared, Winston and I went following around the temple to the other side in search. Looking around I said, "I don~t know what this is, but we are in the middle of something big." Another apparent amphitheatre of only benches surrounded a giant stone figure that seemed to be a face statue. We walked through a stone structure with doors and windows, past the stone walkway that traversed the temple, and found a narrow set of stairs leading up to the top. We had to jump over precipices where an ancient bridge had crumbled down. Approaching the top, we heard their voices. The top felt like a carved fortress, with a flatened floor, and thigh high walls around. In the center was a giant puma head facing the sky, carved into the same piece of rock as all the rest of the temple. We layed there on our backs, watching the coulds swirl around, opening to the stars only directly above the temple peak untill my body broke out in hives, which we all took as a really good sign to leave.

This past week I have been in Cuzco, Peru, the capital city of the ancient Incan empire. I was captivated to stay longer than planned, exploring ruins, visiting temples, making new friends, and most importantly I visited Machu Picchu. I feel incapable to explain in short the places I visited or the intense feelings that overcame me, but the experience I had in that temple I will never forget. Now I am in Lima, Peru where the beaches are lovely and the city offeres many things to do. I think I will go surfing today.