Cusco was the high altitude Inca administrative capital. In the town of Pisac, Inca celebrations are still practised utilising conch shells. Then comes the Inca trail, built through splendid and varied mountain terrain. The steep ascent is a difficult pilgrimage, a kind of purgation. The goal is Machu Picchu, a religious site so beautiful in its conception that it puts to shame the European conquerors who did their utmost to destroy the spiritual world of the Incas.