modernism in miraflores

Well i was starting to think that my search for modern architecture in South America was going to come to nothing. Although i am aware that there are good modern buildings dotted around, i have been backpacking and so unable to reach them, until i arrived in Lima. I stayed in the fairly affluent district of Miraflores and as i travelled to the hostel i was overjoyed to see that the area was made up almost entirely of modernist buildings- fantastic! So needless to say i spent the next day wandering around enjoying them..... Miraflores, a modernists dream.

Please note that i have hada recent problem with my camera so the photos below are not up to scratch!

machu picchu

It would be a poor show to travel to Peru and not acknowledge the impressive and ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu. We walked the 'classic' Inca trail, one of many trails that were built by the Inca's to connect the regions of their empire- the trails stretch from the northern capital of Quito in Ecuador right down to Santiago, Chile.

This is one experience i know i will never ever forget. Our guide was knowledgeable about everything from the flora and fauna to the Incas themselves and showed a genuine passion regarding his subject. I have to say i was astounded by the landscape surrounding us; the peaks soaring to over 5000metres high are jagged and intimidating; this twinned with the moody, ever changing sky made the valleys seem like magical other-worldly places. The walk took us over high passes and down into deep valleys, in both the sun and the rain encountering various Inca ruins, each as impressive as the last. To trek through this landscape for three days before finally arriving at the site of Machu Picchu made the moment of arrival almost euphoric, its really difficult to describe but i now understand a little of how people feel on a pilgrimage and i can see how it could be life changing.

The scenery is magnificent as are the ruins that we encountered on the trek. I was so impressed by how advanced their building techniques were- as i mentioned in an earlier blog on Cuzco, the stones are all actually carved, some having eight or nine different edges and then fitting together without any mortar. And for this ancient city to be constructed in such a remote place, well it's just mind boggling!

Below: enjoying the vernacular architecture







Patallacta viewed from above

Ruins of Phuyupatamarka

Inca terraces

And of course Machu Picchu

red tiled roofs of cusco

Cusco makes no secret of what it is all about- the centre of the once formidable Inca empire and now a haven for tourists and backpackers. After the fall of the Inca empire at the end of the 16th century the Spaniards built the new city on the old Inca walls; the original stone walls are huge and the detailing of the stone so impressive because they are each carved into subtle shapes, fitting together like a jigsaw. A beautiful city.