Set high in the Andes Mountains where rainbows are so close you can almost see their raindrops and the clouds blanket the tips of the mountains; these historical Peruvian cities need no introduction. The ancient cities and marvelous wonders of Machu Picchu and Cusco are by far the most impressive places I have had the pleasure to visit and should be on everyone’s bucket list. It was definitely one of those experiences that got my mind racing trying to piece together the footsteps of the past.  

Set high above sea level, both of these cities challenge limits and push boundaries of epic architectural proportion. I found myself standing on top of what could only be described as beauty; looking out towards the Andean Range towards the streams below thinking, how did they do it? Yes, today we construct impressive buildings that cast shadows on the footpath as they ascend high into the sky, but the advanced technology and perfectly designed engineering systems allow us to create things of this magnitude. Let us rewind a thousand years, the Incas are building entire societies on top of mountains from construction materials made from granite that even today’s tools struggle to cut. The thought of people designing, creating and building ancient cities like these is absolutely awe inspiring. Using nothing more than their bare hands and basic equipment truly showed their determination to create something great.

Whether they intended to build their temples, homes and structures to last a lifetime, constantly battered by mother nature and mankind, it was an experience that cannot be explained. It was a privilege to share such a rich history and to stand in the same spot looking out at the same view in what was someone’s house long before me. Machu Picchu and Cusco truly are a fascinating place that should be seen by the world by people from different countries to admire and ponder on what was.

While modern structures in their own right can be impressive in respect to technological advancement, architecture and design, something can be said about structures from the past. Temples, monuments and statues have all stood the test of time for thousands of years and to this day baffle us with how they were created with nothing more than man power and primitive tools. Their methods of creation were nothing short of amazing and still considered an impressive feat.