We learned about the Inca culture. The society was very sofisticated. The Inca himself was the God. He had the right of polygamy and produced between 100-200 children. They became the ruling class. It assured loyalty. The working class got pieces of land. This was enough to live on. If the family got more children, the parents got more land. They also had to work the land of the Inca and provided labour for the temples, palaces and roads.  The same rules counted for concerred peoples, if they recognized the Sun and the Inca as their God.

We also learned how little is left of the Inca culture. The museum del Oro in Lima had one of the best collections. There are many theories about Machu Picchu. One thing seems to be clear. Piscarro never saw Machu Picchu, because it was already vacated in 1532 when he came to Peru.

The infrastructure was fantastic.  They had roads from Quito (in the North ) to Cuzco and from Cuzco to the Chilian border. The road over the highlands which had hanging bridges made out of rope, paths and stairs  carved out of rock was from 1500-2000 miles long. Parts are still uncovered today. We walked on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu.

A fantastic experience. A trip we will remember.

Odile