"Gee those Incas were smart"... A lesson in water from Machu Picchu

"GEE THOSE INCAS WERE SMART..."

Over and over I kept saying this to myself as I marveled at the creative spirit of the Inca people as I wandered their engineering marvel: Machu Picchu.

What great engineers, designers and builders they were. They sure knew a thing or two about water.

How else does a community of 500 people living atop a mountain survive with a healthy flow of clean drinking water for 50 years? How else do you design an irrigation system back in the year 1450 to counter a 50% slope and landslides?

These are not new problems. They are problems facing communities and people everywhere today. However I was really surprised to learn in Peru today 35% of people in rural places - like those I traveled through to get to Machu Picchu - lack access to clean water. 

Water, Machu Picchu and a Peru-inspired Janji tshirt perfect for the days hiking and exploring.

One company is doing something about it: Janji.  And I'm very happy to support them.
Janji means 'promise' and that's exactly what they do. They deliver on their promise that every sale of Janji apparel provides one year's clean water for someone in one of their Peru projects (through Living Water International). 

Back in 1991 When Hiram Bingham found the ruins of Machu Picchu he found intact their "remarkable system of highways and irrigation ditches, which ran for scores of miles in the Central Andes."

The original plan for an Inca estate required - what we would term today - town planning. But this was in 1450 of course! A stream, fed by rains from the humid basin of the Amazon, at at altitude of 2,500m fed a canal built straight into the city walls. 16 fountains, the first reserved for the Emperor, ensured the design for the entire city. These fountains remain. 

Water runs still through Machu Picchu on the Inca's original buildings

Despite the fascinating expertise of the Incas Peru remains a country with great need for water supply for so many of its people. Janji chose Peru as one of the countries to benefit from its mission of providing water projects funded through sales of its apparel. Runners, who have a great appreciation for fresh water, choose their apparel with designs based on the themes and inspiration of the country. 

Check out all their awesome Peru designs on great apparel here: http://runjanji.com/collections/peru
 

 
We can learn a lot from the Incas. We can contribute a lot through Janji.

Find out more about Janji's great work in Peru here: http://runjanji.com/pages/peru

Wearing my favourite Janji llama design tshirt whilst hiking along the Inca Trail 

References:
- 'City of the Incas - The story of Machu Picchu and its builders' by Hiram Bingham, Phoenix House Publishing, London.
- 'Water supply and draining at Machu Picchu' by Jeff L. Borwn, Waterhistory.org