Another Country

Like their gods, the Inca of the altiplano must have been fierce and exacting. The city they carved, hauled, and stacked out of rock is a feat that could only have been accomplished through the subjugation of a large workforce, some of whom undoubtedly became casualties of the effort. At the Picchu Mountains (Though Machu Picchu is the center of this Inca settlement, the city extends to two lesser known peaks Wayna Picchu and Huychuy Picchu.) the scale and the height of the settlement is as impressive as the Empire State Building or the Eifel Tower, given the antiquated building equipment of picks, axes, ropes and pullies. And all this construction done along precipices that made my body tingle when I peered over.

I’d like to say that visiting Machu Picchu was a spiritual experience. It was for an acquaintance who credits the site for helping her realize her healing powers. During a visit, she was struck down by a mystical force that left her convulsing and speaking in tongues. When she returned to a semi-normal state, she discovered that she had the incredible ability to heal and harm those around her through mental concentration. Today she works as a healer most of the time, taking on clients at no charge for the first year. After a year of receiving her healing intentions, the healthy client is expected to repay the healer $400 a month for the rest of his/her life. Though this may seem like a high price to pay, there is added incentive not to renege on one’s agreement. The healer can retaliate by striking an ungrateful client with a furious case of appendicitis.

For me, there was no convulsion or spiritual awakening, nor was I struck down by an angry god. I can only say that sitting atop the highest peak, Wayna Picchu, I was in the sky with the birds surrounded by clouds and I was happy. And right before I descended to mortal heights the clouds opened a hole to the world below. I saw the mighty Urabamba, now a thin writhing snake, the trees, the rocks, and the toy houses. And for a minute I saw my smallness in space and time.