JFM Photography

250 mm lens from 952 feet above Macchu Picchu at the Sun Gate at Sun rise. Machu Picchu is located 120 km northwest of Cusco; at 2,430 meters it is hidden from the world in dense jungle covered mountains above the Sacred Valley - Urubamba Valley. This 'Lost City' is the most beautiful and impressive ancient Inca ruins in the world. Bingham was not the first to discover it. In 1901 the Cusco explorers Enrique Palma, Gabino Sanchez and Agustín Lizarraga are said to have arrived at the site.

The Sun Gate or Inti Punku is 290 meters/952 feet above Machu Picchu. This is the view from this Inca trail South entrance point of Machu Picchu shrouded in the clouds in the Sacred Valley /Urubamba River valley.  This was the only trail to Machu Picchu from Cuzco.   View 70 mm lens taken in the dry Winter season.

This Cloud Forest Orchard is  commonly called the Tailed Phragmipedium refers to the long petals or the Mandarin Orchid, is a species of orchid occurring from Peru to Bolivia at elevations of 1000 to 2100 meters; Blooms from February to September with three to six 75 cm long flower; Temperature 20 -22 C and constant moisture. Orchards fragile existence in the misty microclimates around Machu Picchu ruins, Peru.

This sector of Machu Picchu is separated from the terraces that form the agricultural zone by a moat. The city was constructed in the structure of a truncated pyramid that is a characteristic of the religious Inca architecture. A city dedicated to the religion that lodged a select group of nobles and priests who were dedicated to the adoration of the sun, the water and the mother earth. It is invisible from below and completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces and watered by 16 natural springs.

This sector is clearly separated from the other sectors by a perimeter wall that is only approachable through an imposing double jamb facade. This architectural detail was typical of the building style of the Incas. The urban sector is composed of 172 premises of the most diverse shapes and size, connected by 109 stairways that allowed Incas to walk over the uneven surface of Machu Picchu.

Bromeliads commonly have long-lasting flower displays and/or brilliantly colored foliage. Other familiar bromeliads are Spanish moss, ball moss, and the pineapple. In their native habitat, many bromeliads grow on trees as epiphytes—taking their moisture and nutrients from the atmosphere and the debris that decays in their “cups.” The microclimate mist engulfs the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu and gives life to these plants.

Machu Picchu's central Plaza is the center of the city. Many roofless stone structures flaked by steep natural terraces surround it. Huayna Picchu Mountain in the background. View 70 mm lens taken in the dry Winter season.

Rising 1180 feet over the ruins of Machu Picchu is the peak of Huayna Picchu with temples and terraces on its summit. According to local legends, the top of the mountain was the residence of the high priest who every morning before sunrise would walk to Machu Picchu to signal the coming of the new day. From the summit, a second trail leads down to the Great Cavern and the Temple of the Moon.

Alpaca ‘s  & Llama’s were central to the Inca’s life  for meat, fertilizer, dung  fuel  for cooking/heat and wool, even though the surroundings food sources were lacking. In addition, they were prized beasts of burden for physical labor.  So important that they are honored by sharing Chicha (fermented maize drink) with them during Inti Raymi (Quechua for "sun festival") religious ceremony /winter solstice - the shortest day of the year in terms of the time between sunrise and sunset and the Inca New Year.

Ceramic cow roof decorations or Torito de Pucara, they are placed on the roof for good luck, fertility (of crops and livestock) and to bring prosperity. They are typically given as presents for extra luck and pretty much every building you see in southern Peru has one of the decorations on its roof. Photos from the Gardens & Grounds of Hotel Sol y Luna in the Sacred Valley (Urubamba Valley, Peru).

Traditional Quechua dress, including a flat red hat known as a Montero. Shaped like a shallow fruit bowl, these red-felt hats are worn by Quechua women. In some instances the "dish" is filled with flowers or baubles; in others it is kept in place by delicately woven sanq'apa straps adorned with white beads. Chinchero, a community of about 20,000 Quechua speakers (the Inca’s Language), is situated on a plain at 3800 m. in the Peruvian Andes near Cuzco.

This woman is wearing  a brown hat indicating she is from a different village. It is not the red Montero hat & dress of a Chinchero native. Brown or green hats made from sheep's wool indicate an Andean woman.

Chinchero Market is at a small Andean Indian village located high up on the windswept plains of Anta at 3765m about 30km from Cusco, Peru.

Chinchero Market is  at a small Andean Indian village located high up on the windswept plains of Anta at 3765m about 30km from Cusco, Peru. There are beautiful views overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow.

Traditional men’s attire is dark trousers (or track pants), woolen waistcoat and a hand-woven poncho, generally red in color and decorated with intricate designs. The distinguishing feature is a beanie-style hat with earflaps, known as a chullo. His father knits the first chullo a boy receives. The symbols and images, which can be traced back 600 years, usually portray local animals that hold high significance in Andean culture. Chinchero Market is at a small Andean Indian village located high up on the windswept plains of Anta at 3765m about 30km from Cusco, Peru.

The royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti , the town is located at the foot of the Ollantaytambo Inca ruins that protected the strategic entrance to the lower Urubamba Valley. The town is a good example of Inca stone buildings & streets. The temple area is at the top of steep terracing which helped to provide excellent defenses. Stone used for these buildings was brought from a quarry high up on the opposite side of the Urubamba River - an incredible feat involving the efforts of thousands of workers. The complex was still under construction at the time of the conquest and was never completed.

The town of Ollantaytambo is located along the Patakancha River, close to the point where it joins the Willkanuta River. It dates from the late 15th century and has some of the oldest continuously occupied dwellings in South America. Its buildings have been altered to different degrees by later constructions, such as, adding second stories to the Inca one-story buildings with the Spanish balcony and title roofs. 

Engrascia is a member of the Chinchero Weaving Cooperative that was formed to preserve the art of weaving Quechua traditional clothing. Weaving was dying with the older generation so a Nat'l. Geo. Grant was written by Nilda Callanaupa to revive it.

She is wearing the traditional Quechua dress Montero hat, dress & using the low whorl spindle. Chinchero Weaving Cooperative Chinchero, a community of about 20,000 Quechua speakers (the Inca’s Language), is situated on a plain at 3800 m. in the Peruvian Andes near Cuzco. Their primary economic activity is potato agriculture. Their strong sense of cultural identity has kept them dressed and weaving differently from their neighbors for centuries. Women wove cloth for their own families, in the recognized style of the community.

This type of spindle has no fancy hooks, or turned shafts or fancy grooves and notches. It’s a whittled end of a stick with a rounded wood weight on the end. The shafts can be splintery so pricked fingers are common. Remember in SLEEPING BEAUTY, she pricked her finger on a spindle. Chinchero Weaving Cooperative Chinchero, a community of about 20,000 Quechua speakers (the Inca’s Language), is situated on a plain at 3800 m. in the Peruvian Andes near Cuzco. 

Alpaca yarn balls colored with natural plant and insect dyes from the Chinchero Weaving Cooperative. 

Five white egrets in the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve ecosystem Peru where the Ucayali & Maranon Rivers merge to form the mighty Amazon River.

Morning haze in the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve ecosystem Peru where the Ucayali & Maranon Rivers merge to form the mighty Amazon River. 08/04/2016 100mm lens ISO 250.