Putucusi (possibly from
Quechua ''phutu''
bud, ''-q'' a
suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry ...
, ''k'usi'' a
cucurbit species, a small
zucchini or ''
Cucurbita pepo'',
[Diccionario Quechua - Español - Quechua, Academía Mayor de la Lengua Quechua, Gobierno Regional Cusco, Cusco 2005: ''phutu'' - ''s. Ramillete de flores.'' ''k'usi'' - ''s. Bot. (Cucúrbita sp.) Calabacín pequeño. Planta de la familia de las cucurbitáceas, utilizada en la alimentación, andina.''] "budding zucchini (or ''Cucurbita pepo'')") is a round-shaped mountain located on the opposite side (northeast) of the
Urubamba River to
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain range.UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which ...
in the
Cusco Region
Cusco, also spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu suyu ), is a department and region in Peru and is the fourth largest department in the country, after Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto. It borders the departments of Ucayali on the north; Madre de D ...
of
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
. Reaching approximately above sea level at its peak, the mountain offers epic views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding Urubamba River valley.
Putucusi, Machu Picchu ("old peak" in Quechua) and
Huayna Picchu
Huayna Picchu, qu, Wayna Pikchu, is a mountain in Peru around which the Urubamba River bends. It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District. It rises over Machu Picchu, the so-called lost city of the Incas. The I ...
("young peak") are considered
apus
Apus is a small constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere, southern sky. It represents a bird-of-paradise, and its name means "without feet" in Greek language, Greek because the bird-of-paradise was once wrongly believed to lack feet. ...
or
holy mountains by the local
Quechua people.
Climbing
The view of Machu Picchu from the summit requires a 1.5-hour trek up the mountain, with approximately 1,700 wood and rock steps. A recently discovered
Inca Trail
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (also known as ''Camino Inca'' or ''Camino Inka'') is a hiking trail in Peru that terminates at Machu Picchu. It consists of three overlapping trails: ''Mollepata'', ''Classic'', and ''One Day''. ''Mollepata'' is ...
, the path lies just 10 minutes west of
Aguas Calientes Agua Caliente, Aguas Calientes or Aguascalientes (Spanish for 'hot/warm water(s)' or 'hot spring(s)') may refer to:
Places Central America
* Agua Caliente, El Salvador
* San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala
Mexico
* Aguascalientes, a state in M ...
following the train tracks along the Urubamba River. The entrance is free.
The first half of the journey is jungle trail, and involves several vertical wooden ladders, the largest of which scales over . The second half presents views of Aguas Calientes and the Urubamba River valley, as the trail ascends the eastern face of Putucusi in
switchback fashion. The trail passes through native flora including pisonayes, q'eofias, alisos, puya palm trees, ferns and more than 90 species of
orchids.
In spring 2011, floods wiped out the vertical ladder section of the climb, making an ascent impossible without professional climbing gear, but by August 2012, all the ladders had been replaced.
Updated to June 2016, the access to the trail has been restricted and forbidden, due to the lack of maintenance of the path. All the ladders are indeed destroyed and it's impossible and extremely dangerous to climb up without professional climbing equipment.
Local rangers are monitoring the area and the entrance to avoid unauthorized accesses and prevent accidents.
Images
File:Mpicchumapa02.jpg, Sketch map of the site Machu Picchu showing the location of Putucusi
Image:Putucusi.JPG, View of the summit of Putucusi from Machu Picchu
Image:Putucusi Ladder.JPG, The largest of the steep wooden ladders on the trek to the summit of Putucusi, shown in 2007.
Image:Machu Picchu from Putucusi.JPG, View of Machu Picchu from the summit of Putucusi
See also
*
Iperu, tourist information and assistance
*
Tourism in Peru
Since the 2000s, Tourism in Peru makes up the nation's third largest industry, behind fishing and mining. Tourism is directed towards archaeological monuments, ecotourism in the Peruvian Amazon, cultural tourism in colonial cities, gastronomic ...
References
{{reflist
Mountains of Peru
Mountains of Cusco Region
Sacred mountains