by Jerry Wills and Tyler Pauley
High in the Peruvian Andes in the rarefied air at over 13,000 feet on a wind swept plateau, lost to time and the ages, is Markawasi. Little known and less seen, this place is suspended between heaven and earth, almost defying description, though some have tried.
In the book “On the Trail of the Sun Gods” archaeologist Dr. Daniel Ruzo says of Markawasi: “Within the limits of the fortifications of this prehistoric city, which covers an area of 1.8 square miles, I have found many pieces of sculpture. The four most interesting centers, each of which is dominated by a monumental altar, are situated at the four cardinal points. At the northern extremity of the plateau there are two huge toads lying on a semi-circular altar facing west. The priests, once a year on the day of the summer solstice in June, saw the sun rise exactly over the central figure. “To execute these sculptures the natives used all the resources of bas-relief, engraving and the effects of light and shade. Some of them are visible only at certain hours of the day, either all year round or only at the time of the solstices. To be seen they require the extreme angle of the sunlight during June or December when the sun’s rays touch the extreme points of declination. Many of the designs are inter-connected by means of straight lines which, if they were carried farther, would show positions of the declination of the sun at different times of the year. The figures carved here are anthropomorphic and zoomorphic.”
Shown above is “The Face of Humanity” – A single, 3 story tall bolder shaped into the form of a mans head. What’s remarkable about this (beyond the obvious) is that as the sun travels westerly, the face ages into that of an old man.
While these scholarly assessments tell us of the surprising degree of skill and observational powers possessed by the builders of this citadel, they say nothing of who these people were, where the figures were made or quite possibly more important — where were they from. Yet still an extraordinary energy pervades this sanctuary cloaked in the clouds for untold centuries, having only recently been discovered by the outside world. Incredible reports of UFO’s being seen, as well as strange beings who reportedly walk around the place day and night. Many of the local villagers are afraid and believe these beings come from inside the earth or are materializing from other dimensions. The archaeological community is at a loss to explain some of the more unfathomable images carved in the stone.
In addition to toads, dogs and condors which are all indigenous to the area, there are also 25-foot tall carvings of a walrus, camel, lion, polar bear, alligator, turtle and what can only be described as a prehistoric stegosaurus dinosaur! These and other creatures haunt this mist shrouded plateau from a lost world. There is a3-story tall human head carved from a single bolder and faces carved on a cliffs that drop thousands of feet representing all the different races of the world, speaking in muted silence of the many questions permeating these stones resting upon the Markawasi plateau.
A Place of Intense Mystery
When Jerry Wills first heard about Markawasi he knew it was a place he had to investigate, but it took nearly five years of leading tour groups to Peru before he finally took an expedition during September, 1997. It was Jerry’s Peruvian associate, Peter Schneider, who first tantalized him with amazing stories.
Peter lives in Lima and is well known for his radio shows and work in paranormal research. Two individuals working with Peter are Edith and Erik. Together they have taken several individuals and small groups to Markawasi. From some of these journeys they came home frightened and puzzled. Jerry vividly remembers three remarkable incidents described to him.
Getting There
It’s difficult to get to Markawasi. The road (mostly gravel) from Lima ends at the village of San Pedro de Casta/, 10,000 feet high in the Andes. From there it’s a vertical rise of a further 3,000 feet along a steep, rocky trail. By horseback the trek takes two hours or more depending on the weather conditions and if you can get someone from the village to help you. Only two old men, called CB and Pedro, seem willing to go to up to the Markawasi plateau.
The quiet village of San Pedro sits at 10,000′.
This is the view as we drive up the mountain.
They don’t make the arduous climb on horseback, preferring to walk it in leather sandals. CB and Pedro are Shamen and it’s likely they know much more about Markawasi than they will ever reveal to outsiders. Over the years CB and Pedro have gotten to know and trust Peter, Eric and Edith.
Eric’s first frightening incident involved a tourist from Austria who after hearing about Markawasi felt he had to go. Eric agreed to bring him supplies, occasionally checking in on him during his six-month stay. When he went up to retrieve the man, Eric saw him in the distance waving. Eric motioned for him to come on and, as he waited on the plain, it seemed like the man was moving toward him more rapidly than normal. It wasn’t until the Austrian had gotten closer that Eric realized the man’s feet were not touching the ground. He was levitating through the air, a few inches above the surface! This scared Eric, who went back to camp and waited with CB and the others. When the Austrian arrived he was acting as if nothing had happened although according to Erik, “… his eyes seemed different.” They all walked (nobody levitated) down the mountain and back to the village.
As Jerry relates the story, Edith didn’t believe Eric when he told her what he had seen. At least she hoped he was pulling her leg. Even though she had heard of strange forces at work on the mountain, Edith is the kind of person who has to see something to believe it. It was perhaps a year later that she became a believer.
Another tourist had been staying at Markawasi for three months and it was Edith’s turn to retrieve him. When she saw him, he was on the far side of a deep ravine, standing on the carving of a giant sea turtle (apx. 100′ across). When Edith waved, he stepped off the turtles’ head and floated across the ravine toward her! Edith burst into frightened tears. “Even today,” Jerry says, “if you talk to her about the incident, her face goes pale, she shakes her head and says, I just don’t know how this could be…”
An even more frightening incident happened when Edith was at Markawasi with a small group from England. One of the men was off exploring the area near the encampment when he thought he saw a woman from the group walking among the rocks. He called out to her and proceeded in the direction she had gone. As he turned a corner, he suddenly saw the legless torso of a woman floating in the air! According to the description given later, the “woman” had long dark hair and the face of a cat! “The guy just about went nuts,” Jerry said. “He was scared to death. They had to take him and everybody else down the mountain right then and there. He was so terrified that he scared everyone else, including Edith. I don’t know for sure, but from what Edith was telling me it seemed like this thing either snarled at him, tried to speak to him or did something that really frightened the man. He just couldn’t handle it.”
Expedition to Markawasi
We prepare our horses for the ride to Markawasi. The ride lasts about 2 – 3 hours.
It is not a difficult journey and the scenery is spectacular!
Jerry finally decided to offer a trip to Markawasi as an extension to his tours of the Amazon Jungle, Machu Picchu, Cuzco and other more mainstream sites in Peru during August, 1997. Unlike most of his tours that are fully planned, this would be a “fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” expedition. Jerry wasn’t sure what they might encounter. With Jerry would be six companions and several Peruvian helpers.
They left Lima one morning during early September in a private bus loaded with gear and camping supplies. At San Pedro de Casta/, they left the bus, loaded the equipment onto horses and continued up into the mountains. It was a bright, sunny,early afternoon when they arrived at Markawasi. While the porters set up camp, Jerry and his group marveled at a stone formation known as The Face of Humanity. It’s a thumb-shaped rock about the height of a three-story building, positioned in front of a cliff. It looks like the face of a young European man, about 20, gazing up and towards the eastern sky. As the sun moves from east to west, his profile changes unmistakably. Over the course of the day, he ages in about ten-year increments until, at the end of the day, he has become an 80-year old man looking at the setting sun in the west. “It’s the most amazing thing you ever saw,” Jerry says.
The group would be at Markawasi for three days and two nights. Because of the 13,000-foot altitude, the cloudless skies and the dry mountain air, it was easy to get too much sun. People were reminded to put on hats, sunscreen and lip balm to avoid serious sunburn.
The Mysteries Begin
Their campsite was situated between the Face of Humanity and a cliff. When you stand with your back to the cliff and look towards the Face of Humanity, beyond it and across a ravine, is the stone monolith of a giant sea turtle cresting a wave. This and the other giant carvings are not simply stone outcroppings that vaguely resemble animals and faces. It’s obvious they were deliberately shaped, though they are now very weathered. Although the plateau gets little rain, they seem eroded by water. Their age is a mystery which deepens when you consider the puzzle of the stegosaurus. The triangular plates on the back of this sculpture are clearly not the same type of stone from which the rest of the prehistoric dinosaur had been carved. Testing by European scientists has revealed they had been “mortared” into place by some unknown cement. Scientific testing of this mortar has revealed no clues as to its composition or age. Furthermore, how could pre-Incan Peruvians even know what a stegosaurus looked like? This dinosaur has been extinct for better than 300 million years!
Camp Markawasi
There is also weathered double Sphinx, joined together like Siamese twins. Another is a hippo-like creature which resembles an Egyptian god. There are also 30 foot high stone pillars that at morning and in the late afternoon resemble a gathering of Penguins and Walruses grouped in a beach setting – resting nearby as if watching for a quick meal is a 40′ prehistoric crocodile. Amazingly, there is a 50 foot long stone mummy with a face eternally gazing skyward — its features bear a startling resemblance to another monument whose eyes forever look toward the stars… the face on Mars!
As their first day at Markawasi was ending, the clear mountain sky began to reveal the most amazing display of Southern Hemisphere stars anyone present had ever seen. Sitting around the campfire on that cold night, several within the group sensed they were being watched. “We all were certain there was no one there but us, but the feeling of being watched prevailed. I explored the surrounding area, at one point I even went around to where the man is said to have seen an apparition of a woman. Finally, I hiked to the top of the cliff overlooking our camp to prove to myself there was no-one else there. If you’re being watched you have a keen sense of it. I didn’t see evidence of anyone.”
Because the stars were so beautiful that night, Jackie (one of the team members) decided to sleep with her head outside her tent. It was late and everyone had retired to their tents. At about 1:00 am, she saw a brilliant white light, like an enormous searchlight aimed toward the night sky, illuminating the area just beyond our camp and past the cliff we had camped below. She said it was “lit up like Las Vegas”. The light was on for just a little while, then it went off. A little frightened, she retreated into her tent, zipping it up against the cold. About 30 minutes later we all heard footsteps on the gravel, as if at least two people were walking through camp. Each of us assumed it was someone within the group getting up to use the “porta-potty”. When we talked about it at breakfast the next morning no one admitted having left their tents all night!
“The Face of Humanity” as seen from our camp. Look closely at this photo. Do you see the UFO in the upper right portion? It seems to be on end. We see them here frequently.
An even stranger series of events happened that same night. It started at a little after 2:00 am with Jerry’s CD player. His unit includes a pair of portable speakers and has a common locking function so you can’t bump it on, accidentally running down the batteries. Before going to bed, Jerry had put in a CD he wanted to play the next morning (Enigma Three). He then locked it securely. Later that night as he was asleep in his tent, the stereo suddenly came on. Everyone in camp heard Enigma playing at full volume. Jerry was jolted awake by the music, his surprise turned into shock when selections from another disk (Enigma Two) started playing. Both CD’s played tracks interspersed, although Jerry’s portable CD player only holds one compact disk at a time! Shocked, Jerry lay motionless listening to the music. “As odd as it sounds now,” he said “I felt at the time that there must be some other force at work. Perhaps this was to deliver a message to us through the music. As the last song was near its end another odd thing happened. The music moved from inside my tent to outside my tent, then it proceeded to move across camp, up over the cliff and was finally gone. I checked my CD player the next morning — it was still locked and couldn’t have been on. Even though we had all heard cuts from both Enigma Two and Enigma Three playing, the disk inside was Enigma Three.”
“The next thing that happened is the strangest of all. We’re all awake and it’s now roughly 3 am. I’m laying there with my eyes closed, tired and ready to sleep. The feelings I had were those you might experience in twilight sleep or as you’re dreaming. I was laying there cold and awake when suddenly there was a brilliant amber light in my eyes. I got up, put on my shoes and proceeding outside to look around. I could see the camp, but no people… and the tents are all open. The next thing I remember is a view from above, looking down at Markawasi. I’m being told by someone about this feature called “The Finger of God”. This is a tall cylinder shaped stone monolith at the far end of the plateau from where we have camped. The Markawasi plateau was bathed in amber light. Then, whatever was happening was suddenly over. The next morning I woke up thinking, “What a dream that was!” It wasn’t until breakfast, while checking my watch, that I saw my altimeter had recorded (at about 3:15 am) my altitude had increased from 13,000 feet to 14,000 feet and then back down to 13,000 feet again about ten minutes later.” Jerry explained that his Casio watch has an altimeter on it, along with a thermometer and a barometer, to keep a record of the maximum altitude and the weather.
Strange Dreams
At breakfast the next morning, everyone was talking about “weird dreams” in which they had seen amber light and were shown features of the Markawasi area. It was as if everyone had the same dream but each remembered different parts of it. Two women “dreamed” about the entrance to a cave and underground temples, so they asked Eric to accompany interested group members to look for it while Jerry and another member of the expedition explored in a different direction. It was they who first saw the cave.
“Actually, CB had told us about the place,” Jerry said, “but I wasn’t sure where it was located. It’s a burial chamber from about 2,000 years ago. There were (pre-Incan) human bones at the entrance.”
“As we were walking, a large Andean hawk came out of the sky, landing on a stone nearby. It called out to us and then flew off to the next rock. It seemed to want us to follow it, as it waited till we got close. It flew off to another rock and another, continually leading us around the side of the plateau, until we clearly saw the Finger of God. When we saw the Finger of God and realized we were being led to it, the hawk flew off. It was at this point that we looked up. Overhead were a male and female condor circling. That, in itself, is a remarkable sight as their wingspan is nearly twelve-feet. Just then we saw the others who were hiking, so we went over to meet up with them. We never made it close enough to explore the Finger of God.”
“It is an unusual vertical outcropping of white rock about thirty feet tall, pointing straight up to the sky. Eric had told me that it’s hollow inside, that you can stand in its center. Apparently when you do so, you feel an energy pouring through you, connecting you between the Earth and the sky. I was told that something remarkable would happen if you stand there long enough, although Erik was uncertain as to exactly what I could expect. My mind flashed back to the stories we had been told by Edith and Erik. I wondered if the man from Austria had ventured into this edifice. We got close enough to see its features. We realized it would take longer than expected to arrive at. By that time we had been climbing up and down the mountain all morning and were getting tired. Also, because it was getting late (and we didn’t have enough water with us) we decided not to go any further.”
The Secret Cavern
Late that afternoon, CB revealed some of the secrets of Markawasi. He had intended only to tell Jerry, who insisted that the entire group should have the opportunity to take part in the discussion. The information he spoke of involved the mysterious stone figures and passageways to the inner earth. CB told us that inside Markawasi is a temple complex, a large underground cavern where they would perform rituals. During these events, beings from “other dimensions” would materialize and instruct them. “In fact,” Jerry said, “these beings had been there as recently as a few weeks before our arrival and told them we were coming!” Jerry seriously considered going into the cavern, but reluctantly decided not to. “I really wasn’t prepared. I’ve done cave explorations many times and I know that to go into any cave you’re not familiar with you should at least take rope, high-powered flashlights and other essentials. Although CB and Pedro told me it was safe, I didn’t want to take my tour group members in there. Although I would have gone alone, I know they would have felt left out had I gone in without them.”
Jerry had a good reason to be wary. He knew of another group who had been lost in the legendary tunnel system that runs throughout South America. It was during 1954 that a group of 14 men from Europe went into a cave in the mountains above Cuzco. They never came out. The Peruvian government sent a team of 20 fully equipped army militia men to find them. They never returned. Within a week another team of ten men entered the passages to look — they never came out either! Weeks went by with no sign of those who were missing. They were presumed lost and in the Spring, a bulldozer arrived to seal the entrance with a huge granite boulder. To this day no one has heard from any who were lost. No one has ever ventured into the cave again.
Fortress in the Clouds
Toward the end of the second day at Markawasi, CB took the group to an odd place at the far end of the plateau called the Fortress. It’s a very old complex made of granite stones, carefully stacked and interlaced to form a large structure complete with passageways and small rooms. There are also tunnels that connect one area to another. The construction is similar to Machu Picchu, although much older. The Fortress is where you go, according to the locals, to have contact with ET’s. “Their legends tell us,” Jerry says, “this is one of several places the visiting gods would live after returning from the stars. They believe there will be a return of these Gods soon because the ancient prophesies are becoming fulfilled. Their prophesies tell them that during this age in Earth’s history the world will be severely altered by natural and man-made disasters. However, they sincerely believe they will be protected from these changes by those who originally created Markawasi.”
The view from the Fortress is toward the west. From here you can faintly see the ocean as the sun sets. It’s when you look down that you see a dramatic vista: a mile below you, the peaks of mountains breaking through the clouds. On the way back to camp, Jerry and his group were shown an
Do you see the face? Roll your curson across the image…
area known both in K’chua and Spanish as the Star Gate. “It’s basically an outcropping of stone that looks similar to a melted pyramid or a bell like outcropping of stone,” Jerry said. “Around this in a horseshoe formation are high, curved stone walls that resemble melted candle wax. They’re about 40 feet high, curved inward and surround the area with an opening at the East end. They surround the central pyramid or bell shaped structure, which has a large enough platform to camp on. The top half of the surrounding cliff wall looks as though it’s been burned. According to CB, Pedro, Eric and Edith, large flying saucers appear here regularly. The energy released by these objects scorches the stone. They say they see them here quite frequently!”
It was as the group was returning to camp that we realized the Star Gate area was the same location where Jackie had seen the brilliant white light our first night. Had that light come from a UFO or some traveler opening a doorway from another dimension? As the sun set behind the distant mountains we silently made our way back to camp thinking about this and the other wonders we had encountered.
Our last night at Markawasi was uneventful and on the morning of the third day it was time to pack up and go back to San Pedro de Casta/. Jerry said, “We were all ready to leave but were also anxious to come back. The place was so remarkable. We all felt that because we had made the journey to this high, remote plateau our field of vision had widened to a degree that we finally caught a glimpse of what this place might have been intended for. As we made our way back down the mountain I saw each person looking back to where we had been. You could tell by the look on their faces they had found a personal treasure. They couldn’t wait to get home to share it with their friends and families.”
High atop the Markawasi plateau at Angel’s gate
The Great Mystery School
Jerry believes Markawasi is one of the great Mystery Schools of the Earth. It might have been a place where the Viracocha taught ancient mysteries to initiates, or it could be a place that only those who were guided to could ever find. “It’s kind of like Shangri-La in some ways,” he said. “When you
first arrive, it seems to be nothing more than a strange feeling, high mountain plateau. But the longer you stay the more you see. It’s really desolate now and strewn with huge stones — but at one time, perhaps tens of thousands of years ago, it must have resembled a museum of different species and peoples found on this planet. Now, aged and worn by the forces of time we are left with this… enigma. However, the longer you remain among these mysteries the more aware you become that this place was intentional and the forces responsible are still present. You begin to fathom the possible connection we share to those ancient legends of Gods from the stars and you realize suddenly what is really there. In the time we were at Markawasi, our perceptions of that place, our past, our future and ourselves changed dramatically.”
Jerry will return to Markawasi during his future trips into Peru. He usually stays for three days and two nights with his accompanying passengers. “Next time we’ll journey to the Finger of God and go during the day to the Fortress, as it’s one of the most amazing places within the area of Markawasi. There’s still a whole region I haven’t explored yet. Weather permitting, during our future trips we’ll camp at the Star Gate, which is more centrally located, so we’ll see more.” Jerry is also going to take the flashlights and rope needed to check out the inner earth sanctuaries, provided he is allowed to enter. “There’s something really, really odd and wonderful going on there. I’ll never have all the answers, but I’d sure like to have more answers than I do now.”
Jerry faces the sunrise as ‘The Face of Humanity’ awakens…
Besides leading tour groups, Jerry also teaches seminars on advanced states of consciousness. Jerry says his trips are designed to help bring about this higher state of awareness, similar to the Ninth Insight described in The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield.
“There have been a few times in Peru where we have gotten people to direct their consciousness on one individual so they actually start to phase out and you can’t see them anymore. Within a few minutes they’re again visible, because it’s so difficult to hold the concentration necessary for allowing someone to remain there for extended periods. We’ve seen this happen two or three times, not just me seeing it but a whole group of people. By the time a person on one of my tours gets to Markawasi their consciousness has taken a substantial leap. They’re more in tune and aware than ever before. Going to a place like Markawasi is graduating to higher realms… there’s so much more.
We’re titling our next trip ‘Ghosts of Markawasi’ because of the places we have scheduled to visit and the odd things we’ve seen here during the nigh during a full moon. Places like Markawasi are sacred temples left to us by ancient masters of Earth’s distant history. The myth, magic and mystery are there waiting for us to discover. I can’t wait to return! For us to evolve as a species we must rediscover what was known during ancient times. It’s time we re-educate ourselves in the ancient techniques. Only then we might begin to comprehend how we can master greater awareness and consciousness.”
“Mastering consciousness is a step-by-step process approached patiently. This becomes a powerful force in your life as you move beyond judgment. When you are able to step back, more clearly seeing the bigger picture, you realize that nature is perfect. Having faith in yourself is another valuable component. Because so few have this inner strength of their beliefs they have a hard time developing the awareness they desire. That’s where a qualified teacher can assist so powerfully. Developing a state of higher consciousness requires you to connect with forces responsible for the origin of the universe. Once connected you then learn how to trust it is there working with and for you. As you merge with this essence you learn to open yourself up to it, direct it, and allow. As you do this, especially in a place like Peru, you start noticing synchronicities around you. You understand you’re not meant to be at the whims of creation, you’re meant to be part of the process. That’s one of the most astonishing things revealed to people who go on these trips. They see manifestation occurring as quickly as they need it.”
An example of this happened to Jerry in Machu Picchu. “I was hiking on a trail and thought, “Oh man, I don’t have any more water!”
“Immediately I hear trickling water, and I see there’s a spring emptying right onto the trail that hadn’t been there moments before. The mountain just gave me a drink! This kind of experience gives you a new sense of perspective on yourself. You don’t feel powerless anymore or at odds with everything around you. You begin to feel that you’re joined to it, that it’s part of you – an extension of you. And then you start thinking this must be what it’s like to be God. I don’t mean that in an egotistical way, because in truth we’re all part of what God is. I believe we were meant to be as Gods on Earth – placed here to nurture and protect paradise. The two problems we face are that we’ve lost the wisdom the ancients speak of and we’ve forgotten how to manifest as God would. Perhaps if we developed deeper wisdom and accepted our roll in co-creation with God, the Earth will become a richer environment for everyone. A setting allowing us all the opportunity to experience life’s rewards.”
Markawasi is located near Marca Pomacha, 160 km’s northeast of Lima. The cave, with its pre-Incan human remains, mummies and skeletons is vulnerable and must remain safe from looting.
Jerry Wills, a gifted Medical Intuitive, works with his wife Kathy. He is an internationally known lecturer, humanitarian and teacher who has traveled extensively through North, Central and South America looking for secrets of Shamanic medicine, lost cities and hidden beauty.
They are currently working on a new series exploring the strange, mysterious and out of the way places few ever have a chance to see. Visit Xpeditions TV for more information or to watch their latest program at no cost.
For more information you may call 602 604 0212, E-Mail him at J@JerryWills.com or visit his informati
Alchemical Body 