Before I travel thousands of miles to a destination, I like to read up on some of the history of the country I'm going to visit, as well as Tivo and watch any television specials that occasionally show up on stations like the History, Travel, and Discovery Channels. I find that this at the very least supplements the information I get from a guide and often times supersedes it.
For my trip to Peru and Machu Picchu, I chose to read the book The Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie, and I don't think I could have found a better book. Not only is the history surrounding the conquest of the Incan Empire by Francisco Pizarro and company fascinating, MacQuarrie spins it into a fast-paced novel full of intrigue that should be turned into a movie or an HBO mini-series. While we all know the ultimate outcome, you can't help but root for the Incas.
In addition to the Spanish conquest of Peru, MacQuarrie also delves into the discovery of Machu Picchu and Vilcabamba, the last holdout of the Incas. The discoveries are equally interesting and also fraught with controversy. The book has its own website, and Mr. MacQuarrie also has a fascinating blog on Peru.
As always, for more information of Machu Picchu, you can check out the section on my website. Also do you like to read up before a trip, or do you prefer to learn on the fly -- relying on either a guide or a guidebook? Weigh in on the comment section, I'd love to hear people's thoughts.
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2 comments:
I like to read a bit about these mjaor sites before visiting them. Machu Picchu was one place where a knowledgeable local guide added a lot to the whole experience of this extraordinary travel wonder.
Thanks for commenting Mark. I shot you an email earlier, but not sure you got it. I had pretty good guides throughout Peru that added a lot, but the book filled in a lot of the gaps and added a lot of extra info. It was especially useful for the sites of Ollantaytambo and Sacsayhuamán, as my guide didn't seem to know as much about the sites uses during the Incan rebellion. The worst guide I had was for a tour of mainland Greece, but that's another subject.
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