Day Three- "A Pretty Good Day At The Hospital"

Today was a rather eventful day for me, but not at all in the way indicated by Professor Dulanto´s lesson plan. I woke up early this morning with a lot of pressure in my chest and running a high fever. Although I hated missing the trip to Korikancha, one of the most important historical sites on our itenerary, it was definitely for the better. While the rest of the group was eating breakfast this morning, Justin and I were on our way to a private clinic in downtown Cuzco. Although I was in quite a bit of pain, the nurses there took great care of me, and by noon I was up and about again.

In the evening, I was able to make it out to the Planetarium with the rest of the group. I have always found astronomy fascinating, but as Melody would say, ¨"Who doesn´t?" We got a very in-depth lesson on Inca cosmology, and the celestial bodies that were important to them in determining the agricultural schedule necessary for the survival of their people. Among these are the Pleiadeis, a cluster of seven stars which indicates weather patterns by their movement, and the Southern Cross, which could be considered the equivalent of Polaris in the Northern Hemisphere. Another interesting fact is that the Incas recognized the planets much in the same way as the ancient Greeks; to both of these cultures, Mars, for example, represented warlike tendencies within humans.

No video today, but some great footage of the Ollantaytambo ruins tomorrow!

-Matt