Machu Picchu is believed to be a 15th-century Inca citadel, located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru, on a 2,430-metre (7,970 ft) mountain ridge. It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District, above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco. The Urubamba River flows past it, cutting through the Cordillera and creating a canyon with a tropical mountain climate.

Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas”, it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas are thought by some to have built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest. Although known locally, it was not known to the Spanish during the colonial period and remained unknown to the outside world until American explorer and historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911.

There is much dispute about the conventional narrative. The Peruvians are a proud people and hold this site as an important part of their national heritage. They claim that the Peruvian peoples were able to construct the amazing stonework, but are not able to explain how. Mythology suggests that a winged species brought the knowledge of how to mix a particular kind of leaf and other matter and when mixed properly, it would allow the massive stone blocks to yield their boundaries to each other, creating a completely seamless connection, with highly irregular surfaces that increased their resistance to earthquakes.

Inspection of the walls shows what seems to be a later style of stonework assembled on top of the original foundation. It is a mystery and visiting it was high on my list of sites to inspect. I was finally able to go to Peru in 2011 and it remains one of the highlights of my life. 10/10, for sure.

While on this trip, Laura and I also spent a week up-river in an Amazon jungle lodge, exploring the local culture and participating in several shamanic-led ceremonies under the Milky Way. Astonishing.