A particularly gripping facet of the Inca religion appears each morning with the rising sun. 
Instead of worshipping an object or effigy, the Incas paid tribute to a moment. The immateriality of their belief was unprecedented. The focus of their devotion wasn´t reduced to the imperfection and inaccuracy of interpretations like so many contemporary practices. It remained pure. Punchao, as they called it, signified the moment at which the first rays of sunlight broke from beyond the serrated horizon of the dangerously steep valleys and bathed the slopes in sharp, green contrasts. At that point, they observed an untainted clarity, worthy of reverence.
In order to preserve this moment of divinity, they fashioned an object, the design of which made possible the preservation of a fleeting moment. The center consisted of an enclosed chalice which contained the dough composed of the ash of past Incas´ hearts. Surrounding this relic were hundreds of pendants, dangling like leaves from a tree. When placed in the sun, it is said that the reflected brilliance produced by these medallions obscured the object itself in a splash of glaring sunlight. In this way, their worship was diverted from materiality, driven toward an intangible glow that signified ultimate divinity.
Long before the sun rose, we squinted through the diffused moonlight on the winding trail to Machu Picchu. As the sky brightened, we entered the sacred grounds, still hours before the first direct rays. Nearing the base of Wayna Picchu, the sun burst from beyond the confines of the rugged horizon with as much strength and clarity as when the ruins were inhabited. At that point, at that place, the divinity of Punchao become clear. The warm embrace of the early morning sun comforted us like a thick alpaca blanket. The sharp shadows painted the ruins in deep shades of gray. Where the light struck directly, the stones practically glowed with life.
As the morning matured, the light flattened and Punchao receded until its next scheduled appearance forever thereafter. Later, the charactistic mist descended upon the ruins and shrouded the complex in mystery. We wandered the site with wonderment until the rain came and cleansed the constructions of the intruding tourists. Awe remained with us for the entire afternoon, seizing our attempts at description and interpretation.
Instead of worshipping an object or effigy, the Incas paid tribute to a moment. The immateriality of their belief was unprecedented. The focus of their devotion wasn´t reduced to the imperfection and inaccuracy of interpretations like so many contemporary practices. It remained pure. Punchao, as they called it, signified the moment at which the first rays of sunlight broke from beyond the serrated horizon of the dangerously steep valleys and bathed the slopes in sharp, green contrasts. At that point, they observed an untainted clarity, worthy of reverence.
In order to preserve this moment of divinity, they fashioned an object, the design of which made possible the preservation of a fleeting moment. The center consisted of an enclosed chalice which contained the dough composed of the ash of past Incas´ hearts. Surrounding this relic were hundreds of pendants, dangling like leaves from a tree. When placed in the sun, it is said that the reflected brilliance produced by these medallions obscured the object itself in a splash of glaring sunlight. In this way, their worship was diverted from materiality, driven toward an intangible glow that signified ultimate divinity.
These days, the ceremonial sunrise still evokes a sense of godliness in the Sacred Valley. No matter how stifling the Conquest was, Punchao 
still reigns the terrain surrounding Cuzco. Nearing the end of the canyon, where the setting becomes too steep for vehicular traffic, the remains of the greatest Inca establishment perches high atop an infathomably challenging site.
still reigns the terrain surrounding Cuzco. Nearing the end of the canyon, where the setting becomes too steep for vehicular traffic, the remains of the greatest Inca establishment perches high atop an infathomably challenging site.
Long before the sun rose, we squinted through the diffused moonlight on the winding trail to Machu Picchu. As the sky brightened, we entered the sacred grounds, still hours before the first direct rays. Nearing the base of Wayna Picchu, the sun burst from beyond the confines of the rugged horizon with as much strength and clarity as when the ruins were inhabited. At that point, at that place, the divinity of Punchao become clear. The warm embrace of the early morning sun comforted us like a thick alpaca blanket. The sharp shadows painted the ruins in deep shades of gray. Where the light struck directly, the stones practically glowed with life.
Like Punchao, Machu Picchu supercedes materialization. To assign depictive descriptions to such an auspicious site reduces it to unavoidable imperfection when in fact, the ruins, when bathed in the glow of god, come closer to perfection than anywhere else.
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