Journey to Machu Picchu: Spiritual Wisdom from the Andes [Paperback]

Carol Cumes (Author), Romulo Lizarraga Valencia (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

Experience the mystic beauty of Machu Picchu! Connect with the spiritual world of the Quechua -- the native people of the Andes. Learn about ancient technologies still practiced today: organic gardening, mystery schools, and ritual specialists. Enter the shamanic world of Andean healers and herbalists, and more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carol Cumes has studied with curranderos and Andean healers in the jungles, deserts and mountains of Peru for over a decade. The owner of a travel company specializing in spiritual journeys to Peru, Carol lectures frequently on Andean spirituality. She is a trained Flower Essence practitioner and Yoga instructor.

Romulo Lizarraga Valencia is Quechua, born on a farm in the Machu Piccu district. Romulo received a post-graduate license in tourism and today lectures and leads excursions as a professional Andean trail guide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 2nd edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567181864
• ISBN-13: 978-1567181869
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Travel > Latin America > South America > Peru

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Journey Outward and Inward -- One Not to be Missed, November 27, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Carol Snow) (Del Mar, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Journey to Machu Picchu: Spiritual Wisdom from the Andes (Paperback)

Whether you travel to Peru in person or in spirit, this book will guide you. The authors share their vast knowledge of all things Andean, going far beyond Machu Picchu and other sites of Peru in much greater depth than the usual tour books. This book is very readable, very approachable, and the reader comes to know how deeply the authors love Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the people of the Andes. The book is enhanced by outstanding stories of the people and by splendid photography (color as well as black and white).

Bottom line: I love this book.

The book has the information of an encyclopedia without the dryness and some might say without the organization. It is like a syncopated fountain, flowing with details, dotted with definitions and poetic words of the people. Information is often repeated in different contexts so that at the end the reader has really learned something. That something is likely to be very personal to each reader. It may include a knowledge of Andean cosmology and a familiarity with the three worlds of Hanakpacha (upper world, represented by the condor), Kaypacha (present world, represented by the puma), and Ukhupacha (lower or inner world, represented by the snake). Along the journey, the reader will come to know and feel the protection of the apukuna (deities of the mountains) and to appreciate the connection we all have to Pachamama and to each other. The reader can also delve into sacred sites, healing ceremonies, daily life, the rich language, dream material, medicinal healing techniques, and so many other subjects.

Like an incredible tapestry, the book weaves together the personal stories of the authors, plus the tales and traditions of many others. One of the most moving "stories" in the book is related by Aurelio Aguirre, telling of his experience as a guide for an Italian group, whose members may have literally saved his life. The tale keenly illustrates the interconnectedness of spiritual seekers--the learning and teaching and healing that ties us together, whether Andean or not, whether traveling in person or through books, in fact whether "seeking" or not.

This reviewer is no expert on Peru, but I recently returned from my first trip there, during which time this book was published. I know that when (not if) I return to the Andes, this book will accompany me. While in Peru, I had the good fortune to meet Carol Cumes and some of the people whose stories fill this book. They are real, as authentic as can be.

Enjoy this book and see where the journey takes you!

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A touching spiritual guide, April 8, 2000

By 

Mark Elliott Smith "Tahoe Mark" (Incline Village, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Journey to Machu Picchu: Spiritual Wisdom from the Andes (Paperback)

Journey to Machu Picchu is not a travel guide, but a glimpse at the magic and spirituality of the Peruvian Andes. A mixture of folk lore, the authors' personal experience, stories from living Quechuans (the direct blood line of the Inca), this book isn't for everyone. But, if you're interested in the spritual aspect of Machu Picchu or the Andes, then this is required reading.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book about the Quecha people, April 9, 2006

By 

blue jaguar (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Journey to Machu Picchu: Spiritual Wisdom from the Andes (Paperback)

This is a pretty good book on the Quecha culture of Peru. However, there is not much in the book about Machu Picchu. So the title is a bit misleading. If you are looking for information about the historical and spiritual culture of Peru, this book, along with Return of the Children of Light, and Masters of the Living Energy: The Mystical world of the Q'ero of Peru, are your best bets. If you are looking for detailed information on Machu Picchu you should look at The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour.