The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour [Paperback]

Ruth M. Wright (Author), Alfredo Valencia Zegarra (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

Whether you have three hours or three days at Machu Picchu, this guidebook will help you see things of significance that otherwise might just blend in with the overall grand impressions of this magical place. Built in the mid-fifteenth centruy by Incan royalty and "rediscovered" by Hiram Bingham in 1911, Machu Picchu is the stuff of legends. The authors offer an almost step-by-step tour, constantly guiding the traveler to understand key elements of the function and construction of these remarkably well-designed, well-built, and well-preserved ruins. A full-color foldout map along with some 150 illustrations, many of them in full color as well, will make this the indispensable guide. No traveler should go to Machu Picchu without this superb little book.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Machu Picchu is one of the most stunning archaeological sites on Earth. Located in the heart of the Andes in Peru, this five-centuries-old Incan relic attracts some 300,000 tourists yearly. Yet the significance of the site itself is difficult to unravel without a lot of personal knowledge or a comprehensive guidebook. Wright, who has studied the site for 25 years and has worked at Machu Picchu since 1994, and Zegarra (anthropology and archaeology, Univ. of Cuzco) have teamed up to produce a handy book for visitors who wish to guide themselves at their own pace through the site. A bound-in, fold-out color archaeological map of Machu Picchu keyed to the book's chapters and an array of black-and-white as well as color photographs will help users find and navigate the site easily and not depend on fractured live tour guide information. After reading this book, you will want to hop on the next flight to Peru. If you are unlucky enough never to visit Machu Picchu, the guide will serve as an excellent virtual tour. Recommended for general travel collections. Olga B. Wise, Compaq Computer Corp., Austin, TX
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Promotes a satisfactory low impact visit offering an early step-by-step trail through the legendary Incan site. --Publishers Weekly, June 4, 2001

Promotes a satisfactory low impact visit offering an early step-by-step trail through the legendary Incan site. --Publishers Weekly, June 4, 2001

Promotes a satisfactory low impact visit offering an early step-by-step trail through the legendary Incan site. --Publishers Weekly, June 4, 2001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Westcliffe Pub (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555663079
• ISBN-13: 978-1555663070
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,155,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for Machu Picchu, October 20, 2005

By 

Doctor G (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour (Paperback)

This book is a "must have" if you are visiting Machu Picchu. I carried this book in my backpack for 4 days on the Inca Trail hike and it was well worth carrying the extra weight.

Machu Picchu is the remains of an entire urban area complete with agricultural, residential, royal and religious areas. You should plan on spending at least a day at Machu Picchu to fully experience this site. This book is all you need for a complete self-guided tour of Machu Picchu. This book covers everything in detail and packs in a lot more information and insights into the Inca culture and style of architecture than any guided tour will cover (guided tours typically last only 2-3 hours). Even if you have a guide, this book will be an useful supplement.

The book comes with a clear fold out map of the entire Machu Picchu site. The book divides the site into several zones (the Temple of the Sun area, the Royal Residence, the Sacred Plaza etc.) and devotes a separate chapter to each zone. Each chapter comes with its own maps, nice photos and concise descriptions of everything that is interesting to see in that zone. The authors have ordered the chapters according to their recommended sequence of areas for exploring Machu Picchu. I followed the same sequence and would highly recommend it also. Apart from these above chapters the book also contains several additional chapters that provide background and supplemental information. The chapter on the Inca Water Management system is particularly enlightening because the complexity of the water system is not readily apparent when you stare over the maze of ruins in Machu Picchu. Water still flows into Machu Picchu from a mountain spring and this chapter provides some insight into the ingenuity of the Inca engineers in providing ample water for the agricultural terraces and the inhabitants of the urban center. The chapter titled "Side Trips" gives you ample information on the sites around Machu Picchu like the Inca Drawbridge, the trail to the peak of Huayna Pichu and the Temple of the Moon etc. One other nice feature is that the new edition has an interesting fold-out section showing an artist's depiction of how Machu Picchu looked liked in its heyday.

If you are interested in learning more about Inca architecture, I would highly recommend Inca Architecture by Gasparini and Margolies. Hiram Bingham's Inca Land and Lost City Of The Incas are staple reads before you venture out into the land of the Incas.

Also, some general advice on visiting the Machu Picchu site. The site opens early in the morning at 6am and the site is relatively calm until the trains from Cusco start arriving at around 10:30 am onwards. If you do the Inca Trail hike you will get to Machu Picchu at sunrise. If not, I would suggest that you take the train from Cusco the previous day and spend the night in Aguas Calientes. This way you can catch the early bus to Machu Picchu (a 20 minute ride) and enjoy the site before the crowds arrive. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. Make sure you have the time and space to enjoy it!

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Make sure you read it in its entirety before arrival, January 26, 2005

By 

S. Park (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour (Paperback)

I purchased the book because I elected not to book a tour. I finished roughly half of the book on the train to Machu Picchu from Cusco through the Urubamba valley. I found the author's enthusiasm contagious -- by the time I arrived in Aguas Caliente, a short bus drive away from the citadel, I was excited. It was only after I physically ran into the entrance to the trail leading up to Huayna Picchu at the northern end of Machu Picchu that I learned the trail was open to the public to hike.

Huayna Picchu is the imposing peak that appears in the background of the most common image of Machu Picchu. Its peak hosts architectural structures of its own, and provides a spectacular aerial view to Machu Picchu. The very steep trail takes about an hour to climb. It is a site not to be missed in my opinion, but one has to plan in advance to visit, primarily because the entrance to the trail closes at 1pm. Huayna Picchu, though its name is mentioned in the book's preface, is not dealt in detail until close to the end of the book. This is why I suggest readers to at least skim till the end of the book before arrival.

Other reasons why the book should be read prior to arrival are for the obscure artifacts. For instance the image stones on the walls of Intiwatana (the principal temple), which supposedly represent (and replicate) the surrounding mountains can easily go neglected if one hadn't read the corresponding entries in the book -- the stones look like natural stones placed where they are by happenstance unless one knows of their significance a-priori.

The book is thorough, serves its purpose well, and as pointed out earlier, does not fail to convey the enthusiasm of the author. However I think it could have made better if it included a list of locations not to be missed upfront. Hiring a local tour guide arguably is the best option, but the book is the next best thing, especially if compared to other self-guides in print.

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Priority backpack item for your trip to Machu Picchu, March 4, 2005

By 

Carol Watkins "Psychiatrist" (Parkton, Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour (Paperback)

When you hike at high altitudes, you take your backpack weight seriously. This book is well worth its 15 ounces. It takes you through the ruins with multiple maps and illustrations. It explains what we do and don't know about the functions of the buildings and terraces. The book is organized by areas. When you reach a certain section of the ruins, you can turn to that section for pictures, descriptions and suggestions on how to walk through the area.

The section on water management illustrates the brilliance of the Inca engineers.The section on the climb up Huayna Picchu, is detailed and makes the climb less daunting. The description also give appropriate cautions about climbing there in slippery weather.

On several pages, there are photographs of the ruins next to artist's renditions of what the buildings might have looked like when they were in use in the 1500s.