Little known fact... (4/23-4/24/2014)

Marsky and I were immediately struck by Aguas Calientes, and not in a good way. Our first complaint was due to the "touristy-ness" of the pueblo (there were seriously only pizza restaurants), which in itself is not wholly unexpected as Aguas Calientes is also known as the "Pueblo de Machu Picchu". It was the poverty of the local people in a town that literally exists for tourists, specifically tourists that have money. Seeing these swanky hotels right next door to these flimsy shacks was completely shocking. 

While we had afternoon tea, we observed several children playing in the train tracks, which might I add have actual trains that come into town frequently. There were no parks in sight for the children to play in. As we walked down the street, to hopefully find some redeeming quality of the town, we came along a protest. We wanted to take pictures, but police were standing around so we decided it was best not to. The people were carrying signs demanding workers' rights for the people and to abolish the "monopoly" in the area.

Later that night, we were talking with our roommate at the hostal and mentioned the protest to him. Turns out, several wealthy families control all the profits in the area, with workers putting in 12hour days for an earning of about $4 per day. Even the people who owned the businesses were unable to make a profit because of the controlling interests of these families, who owned large mansions across Peru and Europe. 

So, if you ever find yourself in Machu Picchu or Aguas Calientes, remember to tip well, because these people are treated so unfairly. Also, if people have any ideas how to combat this type of monopoly, suggestions are most welcome!

This being said, Machu Picchu is incredible, and the fact that many of the children who grow up 25minutes by bus from the citadel and will possibly never see the walls of this incredible Incan feat of engineering is completely unacceptable. This is their local history and they should be allowed to experience Machu Picchu and have a say in how their history and culture is presented to the world. 

EmBoss