The Beauty of Latin America

Map of Latin America

Machu Picchu, Peru

When Neruda visited Machu Picchu, it changed his life as a poet forever. The visit to the heart of one of the most beautiful Latin American archaeological sites and cultural patrimony of humanity made him realize just the true beauty of his country and continent's heritage and ancestors. He began to appreciate Latin American beauty collectively even more than he did earlier in his life, and dedicated one of his most famous poetry collections to Latin American pride, called "The Heights of Machu Picchu." 

The VI's poem of this collection is self-explanatory in what the Machu Picchu visit did to Neruda:

And then up the ladder of the earth I climbed
through the horrible thicket of the lost jungles
to you, Machu Picchu.

Tall city of stones stacked up in steps,
at last a dwelling where what is earthly
was not hidden under slumbering clothes.
In you, like two parallel lines,
the cradle of lightning and humanity
rocking together in a thorny wind.

Mother of stone, spume of the condors.

Highest reef of the human dawn.

Shovel buried in the first sand.

This is just an excerpt from the poem, but these lines highlight his experience at the site and what he believes that Machu Picchu and the old sites contribute to humanity.

                          Chichen Itza, Mexico

Cascadas de Agua Azul, Mexico

                                                                           San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico

Latin American Flags

As a young Latin American woman, Neruda makes me appreciate my culture so much more every time I read a poem from "The Heights of Machu Picchu". I have travelled within Mexico around most of our archeological sites like Palenque, Tula, and Teotihuacan, and I can only wholeheartedly agree with Neruda's vision and share his love for Latin American beauty, culture, and history.