In the past week or so, I have now traveled from Cusco to Pisac. To be completely honest, I have been missing the liveliness of Cusco… but being surrounded by the magnificence of the mountains, trees, and landscape has left more quiet time for reflection.
Last week, I visited Sacsayhuamán an additional time after our initial tour. The lady at the booth was kind enough to let Jasmine, Adam and I in for free. This generosity felt special to me. Perhaps she could sense we had all felt a pull to be there. Perhaps it is strange that we charge people to exist in certain spaces. I wondered if the ancestors would not approve of their homes becoming a paid tour. I wondered if they would be okay with our presence regardless. I’ve recently been reflecting on who these spaces are really for.
I also had a very special experience visiting a planetarium on the top of Sacsayhuamán in which I learned much about how the Inca saw the stars. Coming from the middle of nowhere, I have always been able to see constellations easily. However, now being upside down in Southern Hemisphere, I noticed I could not find the constellations that usually illuminated my sky. After learning about some landmarks in the stars from our guides, I was able to ground myself where I was. Although I was not able to understand the sky in a way that was familiar to me, I was opened up to new stars and constellations that I otherwise would have never seen before. It was weird to think about how the Inca once looked at the same stars as well.
Since Cusco, I have also visited other archeological sites around the Pisac area, such as the Pisac ruins, Tambomachay, and Puka Pukara. Whenever I have spent time at the sites in both the Sacred Valley and Cusco, my heart has felt full being able to connect with people in such sacred spaces. Walking and talking along the same paths that someone once did with their friends hundreds of years ago. An experience that I simply could not take for granted.
Whilst I’ve been touring these sites, I have really been reflecting on how the Inca would feel about our presence there…I try to imagine what life would have been like for the peoples who used to live in the Inca empire. I wonder if they sat and marveled at its beauty the same way I do. To have lived in such spaces was so beautiful. To not be there anymore is a tragedy.
4 replies on “Experience Blog #3: The Stars are Upside Down (or maybe right side up)”
“Whilst I’ve been touring these sites, I have really been reflecting on how the Inca would feel about our presence there…” This is a powerful question. When I have visited other archaeological sites I get a similar feeling. These spaces were not conceived for the crowds that invade them, us. Generally, moreover, they are places administered by national governments that have historically given little consideration to indigenous communities (but that profit from their ruins).
I also wonder what the Inca would think about how their sites and spaces are being used today. Some of these places were sacred temples and places and today they snapshots for social media and checks on bucket lists. I wonder if they would be happy to see that even after the Spanish and the destruction that these places live on or if they would be upset to see the change.
Exploring the ruins, sites, and stars with you has been one of the best parts of this trip for me. I appreciate the way that you think about the past and how we may (or may not) interact with those energies, it’s made me question a lot of things I previously was in motion with. I am glad for your sensitivities around introspection and the way you carry yourself when we are faced with these tensions.
In regards to your question, “I wonder if they sat and marvelled at its beauty the same way I do”… I know they did. Sometimes, an appreciation is so primal and ethereal, it is something beyond just ourselves. Seeing the way you stared at the stars, the astonishment was shared simply through that.
I think there’s something so whimsical about staring up at the stars and wondering who else across time and place has shared that experience with you. Your writing transports me right back to Sacsayhuamán and the awe I felt standing in such a special place. It feels like some sort of understanding is just out of reach, but shared regardless. The ruins feel like a reflection of both people and place. Thank you for the reminder to not take any of this for granted <3