Part Two: Machu Picchu, You Move Me
Despot Roman emperor Caligula would not have been remembered quite as insane and eccentric if in place of choosing his horse Incititus to possibly appoint a seat in the senate as consul, he would have instead chosen a llama. The well-socialized llama is at once the apex of humility, the epitome of regality, and of extraordinarily friendly disposition. More so than the sometimes stubborn, sometimes flighty, and fiercely independent horse which of course possesses many outstanding merits. However, it is almost incontestable the biological evolution of the llama has developed it as the animal perfectly suited to be a level-headed ruler. Maybe horses are good political companions in an autocracy, and llamas in a democracy? Instead of a reputation for their regality though, llamas have a reputation as beasts of burden famed for their defense mechanism of spitting at an aggressor. Not aggressive by nature, you can tell how ticked off or agitated a threatened llama is by the contents of their spit. I just learned that apparently the more disturbed the llama is, the further back in one of it´s three stomach chambers it will draw the contents of it´s spit.
My affection for the llama was well-fed at Machu Picchu. Before our visit to Machu Picchu I was aware that the llama was the principal cargo-transporter of the Incan civilization. I was not sure, however, whether or not live llamas would be roaming the ruins of the Incan civilization. I thought perhaps part of the tourist infrastructure would include llama-controls both to preserve the ruins and ensure safety for tourists. I was enthused to discover llamas roam as freely as people in Machu Picchu, and in fact, even more so at times. Llamas at Machu Picchu also have the advantage of not having to embark on a 20 minute round-tip hike to the bathrooms, they just go where they please of course. Discovered that one the hard way; as I lifted my body up and over a terraced wall to reach the flat plain where the llamas were grazing, I put my right hand in a nice big pile. I love llamas, but still can´t help but curse when something like that happens with no sink in the vicinity.
The first speech by our guide delayed in it´s beginning as we had to wait for sleepy stragglers who arrived at the first meeting point a little later than intended. I was more than fine with that because that delay is what provided me the 15-minute-or-so opportunity to mingle with a 6-llama herd. It´s been a privilege to see so many live llamas while travelling through Peru, most the llamas a person sees in La Paz are dried out llama fetuses sold in the Witch´s Market for ritual purposes. Bizarre, but you get used to it. Seeing llamas roam around Machu Picchu was also for me, an integral element of how I experienced the ruins. The llamas are the only part of Machu Picchu that survive as living, breathing presence of the cultural patrimony of the Incas. The llamas and the occasional condor one sees if lucky. Seeing that animal life amidst was a useful reminder of the former abundance of production and creation that took place between what are now numerous, stacked solitary stoic stones. Indeed, the many walls are comprised of stones that although inanimate, nonetheless evoke an incomparable and truly magnificent cultural history. Part of what I found so engaging about visiting Machu Picchu was in fact the high level of interpretation one can apply to what they hear and see, much information and understanding of this empire remains highly disputable.
Anthropologists now recognize as true, however, that the Incas had knowledge of neurosurgery that after destroyed along with their culture, was not rediscovered again until the19th century by Western science. Just imagine how advanced humanities knowledge of neurosurgery and the brain in general would be if all that information would not have been lost for hundreds of years, leaving us to start again at square one. Popular history often undermines the sophistication of Incan understanding of the brain. Text books attribute the practice or ¨trepanation¨to the Incan culture (the drilling of holes in the skull,) but cut the explanation short with an insufficient explanation for the reasons why. The reason given portrays a picture of native superstition that ¨bad spirits¨ had to be released from an afflicted brain. Popular history leaves out the evidence that surgeries were frequently performed to cure war injuries, damage suffered from aneurysms, to remove tumors, and that the patients not only survived the surgery but healthfully lived for many years after.
Perhaps even more significantly, however, is the reality that the Incas also has anesthetic. Modern neuroscience is not solely responsible for the development of anesthetic (as is often the belief): the Incas developed an effective anesthetic from the plant-base of Coca leaves. In fact, in the beginning stages of the development of modern dental practices, a similar derivative of the Coca plant was also used as an anesthetic. This, to me, is also further proof of the many benefits of the Coca leaf that outnumber the one major drawback: the U.S. used it as a base to invent cocaine. The War on Drugs' often savage and biased attack against the Coca plant thus does not make it surprising to me that the many benefits of the plant that were enjoyed by Andean cultures, are suppressed as such information would undermine the demonization of the plant. The Coca leaf is not a drug, it is not cocaine, and in fact has been used for thousands of years as a nutritional staple in the Andes. It contains one´s daily needs of calcium, iron, and all the essential amino acids. It only even acts as a mild stimulant (less dramatic than coffee) when chewed in combination with a special gum derived from the ashes of native Andean plants.
Eli called me away from my llama diversion once the tour guide started shrieking her spiel about the agricultural terraces of Machu Picchu and we wandered back over to our group, took a seat at a distance behind, and listened. This is where our journey of the ruins began, and where I will pick up on my next blog about the magical Machu Picchu.
Despot Roman emperor Caligula would not have been remembered quite as insane and eccentric if in place of choosing his horse Incititus to possibly appoint a seat in the senate as consul, he would have instead chosen a llama. The well-socialized llama is at once the apex of humility, the epitome of regality, and of extraordinarily friendly disposition. More so than the sometimes stubborn, sometimes flighty, and fiercely independent horse which of course possesses many outstanding merits. However, it is almost incontestable the biological evolution of the llama has developed it as the animal perfectly suited to be a level-headed ruler. Maybe horses are good political companions in an autocracy, and llamas in a democracy? Instead of a reputation for their regality though, llamas have a reputation as beasts of burden famed for their defense mechanism of spitting at an aggressor. Not aggressive by nature, you can tell how ticked off or agitated a threatened llama is by the contents of their spit. I just learned that apparently the more disturbed the llama is, the further back in one of it´s three stomach chambers it will draw the contents of it´s spit.
My affection for the llama was well-fed at Machu Picchu. Before our visit to Machu Picchu I was aware that the llama was the principal cargo-transporter of the Incan civilization. I was not sure, however, whether or not live llamas would be roaming the ruins of the Incan civilization. I thought perhaps part of the tourist infrastructure would include llama-controls both to preserve the ruins and ensure safety for tourists. I was enthused to discover llamas roam as freely as people in Machu Picchu, and in fact, even more so at times. Llamas at Machu Picchu also have the advantage of not having to embark on a 20 minute round-tip hike to the bathrooms, they just go where they please of course. Discovered that one the hard way; as I lifted my body up and over a terraced wall to reach the flat plain where the llamas were grazing, I put my right hand in a nice big pile. I love llamas, but still can´t help but curse when something like that happens with no sink in the vicinity.
The first speech by our guide delayed in it´s beginning as we had to wait for sleepy stragglers who arrived at the first meeting point a little later than intended. I was more than fine with that because that delay is what provided me the 15-minute-or-so opportunity to mingle with a 6-llama herd. It´s been a privilege to see so many live llamas while travelling through Peru, most the llamas a person sees in La Paz are dried out llama fetuses sold in the Witch´s Market for ritual purposes. Bizarre, but you get used to it. Seeing llamas roam around Machu Picchu was also for me, an integral element of how I experienced the ruins. The llamas are the only part of Machu Picchu that survive as living, breathing presence of the cultural patrimony of the Incas. The llamas and the occasional condor one sees if lucky. Seeing that animal life amidst was a useful reminder of the former abundance of production and creation that took place between what are now numerous, stacked solitary stoic stones. Indeed, the many walls are comprised of stones that although inanimate, nonetheless evoke an incomparable and truly magnificent cultural history. Part of what I found so engaging about visiting Machu Picchu was in fact the high level of interpretation one can apply to what they hear and see, much information and understanding of this empire remains highly disputable.
Anthropologists now recognize as true, however, that the Incas had knowledge of neurosurgery that after destroyed along with their culture, was not rediscovered again until the19th century by Western science. Just imagine how advanced humanities knowledge of neurosurgery and the brain in general would be if all that information would not have been lost for hundreds of years, leaving us to start again at square one. Popular history often undermines the sophistication of Incan understanding of the brain. Text books attribute the practice or ¨trepanation¨to the Incan culture (the drilling of holes in the skull,) but cut the explanation short with an insufficient explanation for the reasons why. The reason given portrays a picture of native superstition that ¨bad spirits¨ had to be released from an afflicted brain. Popular history leaves out the evidence that surgeries were frequently performed to cure war injuries, damage suffered from aneurysms, to remove tumors, and that the patients not only survived the surgery but healthfully lived for many years after.
Perhaps even more significantly, however, is the reality that the Incas also has anesthetic. Modern neuroscience is not solely responsible for the development of anesthetic (as is often the belief): the Incas developed an effective anesthetic from the plant-base of Coca leaves. In fact, in the beginning stages of the development of modern dental practices, a similar derivative of the Coca plant was also used as an anesthetic. This, to me, is also further proof of the many benefits of the Coca leaf that outnumber the one major drawback: the U.S. used it as a base to invent cocaine. The War on Drugs' often savage and biased attack against the Coca plant thus does not make it surprising to me that the many benefits of the plant that were enjoyed by Andean cultures, are suppressed as such information would undermine the demonization of the plant. The Coca leaf is not a drug, it is not cocaine, and in fact has been used for thousands of years as a nutritional staple in the Andes. It contains one´s daily needs of calcium, iron, and all the essential amino acids. It only even acts as a mild stimulant (less dramatic than coffee) when chewed in combination with a special gum derived from the ashes of native Andean plants.
Eli called me away from my llama diversion once the tour guide started shrieking her spiel about the agricultural terraces of Machu Picchu and we wandered back over to our group, took a seat at a distance behind, and listened. This is where our journey of the ruins began, and where I will pick up on my next blog about the magical Machu Picchu.
posted by Jojo at 11:33 AM
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