Amaru Muru doorway

It was a sunny morning in March when I went to Terminal Zonal in Puno to catch a colectivo van to Juli. I have spent three days in Puno, during which time I have seen amazing ancient site of Sillustani, and also the famous Uros islands on lake Titicaca where some indigenous Andean folks live. Now the time has come to visit Juli – the final town in Peru that I wanted to visit before going to Bolivia. The reason why I wanted to stop in Juli was to visit a place called Amaru Muru, also known as the Peruvian Portal.

From Puno to Juli there’s only an hour and half drive in a colectivo van (4.5 soles). For Peru this is a very short distance, considering that average bus ride from place to place that I took while in that country was between five to seven hours driving. And so I arrived to the main bus station in Juli at around ten o’clock. As the station is on the Western outskirt of the town, I had to take another colectivo (0.5 soles) from there to the main square. It immediately stroke me how pleasant and quiet the town of Juli is, or how South Americans would say – es muy tranquillo.

On the main square were several accommodation places, and I was lucky to have found a very good one almost immediately, called Hostal San Bartolome (15 soles per room). As the room was not yet ready, I went on to explore Amaru Muru. Getting to that mysterious site was easy. First I went back to the main terminal, and from there I got on the colectivo/micro bus to ILAVE. I had to tell to the drive to let me out where Puerta del Diablo is (The Devil’s gate) –  that’s the name that most locals are familiar with, although many would  also know it by Amaru Muru (or Aramu Muru). After short time of driving the driver pointed to the hill where the mysterious “gate” carved in the hill is located. From where I got off the micro-bus on the main road, it took me about ten minutes walking on a small path that led towards that rocky hill. As I approached it, I was getting more attuned to the interesting environment that by that time encompassed me completely. The gate was there, visible all along as I was walking towards it. A boy from a distant cabin at the site approached me to sell me the ticket for the site (10 soles), and offered me some of the stone work that he personally did. Some of those consisted of small figures of Amaru Muru gate, but also crystals chiseled out of the rocks from the site. He also mentioned that there is a trail that goes around the site, and that it is possible to hike here. He escorted me to the gate, and then returned to his cabin.

As I’ve seen it, the first impression that hit me was that it ought to have some depth. The gate is shaped in latter T, it is over two meters in height, and carved into a rocky hill. Archaeologists believe that the site is originally an unfinished site of the Incas. There are many legends and stories associated with it. Some has it that this gate-like carving is a portal, and that it leads to the “city of the gods”, which is why some locals today call it like that. According to one of the legends, an Incan priest called Amaru Meru fled from his temple in Cusco while being chased by Spanish conquistadors craving for gold. He took with him what is known as the Solar Disc, and has reached the doorway in the Southern Peru. After performing a ceremony and placing the disc in the appropriate place, the portal was supposedly activated and he passed through it, never to return again.

Approaching the famous Peruvian doorway.

The Amaru Muru gate from close by.

Nearby surroundings.

There are beliefs that the doorway connects to another dimension, and locals have supposedly often time seen blue and white orbs glowing in the night, supposing that the orbs are the souls of deceased. Another legend believed by the locals state that the gods will one day return, and the exit point from another dimension will be precisely this gate.

What truth the legends hold, I do not know, but I did found that that there is an almost tangible energy irradiated by the gate. Unfortunately I didn’t have any device at the time that could measure electro-magnetic radiation. Nevertheless, I benefited a lot by staying in direct vicinity of the gate for some time. I stood inside the doorway looking outward, noticing that the first perception of the potential “star-traveler” arriving here would be beautiful rocky cliffs, while far in the distance the Titicaca lake was glittering in the sun. The weather was perfect, the atmosphere tranquil, and I was there all by myself. In the center inside the Amaru Muru doorway was carved a little round hole, which fits nicely in the story of the Sun Disc that is part of the formulae for activating the portal. Another view states that this “key-hole” should be used to lean a forehead on it, to try and perceive what is beyond with ones own third eye chakra. At the time I wasn’t aware of this theory, so I did not attempt to try it, although it might have been fun to do so.

After spending a good amount of time at the doorway, I decided to do the hike that the person selling tickets was mentioning. I wanted to ask him something more, but he was nowhere to be found. The thoughts such as “was he really there” and “who was he” were going through my mind as I started the hike that “he” previously made me aware of. “This place has a strange influence”, I noted.

The first part of the hike was fine, although the trail started to disperse after short time of walking. The amazing parts of the hill opening up to my perception were amazing. I realized that this hill is even more surreal than I thought – I have seen the strangest of rock formations, such as the extraterrestrial head, the arc, the bodies, the heads, and so much more. At certain point the trail simply vanished. And so I was standing there, around half way up, in front of me an inclination, and on both sides steep rocks. “Should I continue and see what comes next, or should I turn around and go back” was a thought I was weighing at the time. And as I was already getting quite disappointed for not being able to continue, and as the decision to come back started dominating within me, suddenly I see a hare about 20 meters away from me, jumping out of a hole, looking straight into my eyes, and then hopping upwards in the direction I was originally heading to. It was another strange occurrence, but I decided to “go with the flow”, and like Alice in Wonderland, I too started following the rabbit. The latter was soon out of sight, and as I continued climbing up by taking ways up I estimated the most passable, the mysterious place had an ever increasing effect on me.

Going up the steps from the doorway to commence the hike.

Rock formations on the way.

Some of the vistas.

Does this reminds you of something?

An arc at Amaru Muru.

View of Titicaca lake.

The Amaru Muru hill stretches Westward.

The sparrow-like birds were sitting on top of the rocky wall on my left side, while glancing at me and chirping, as if they were saying: “You try so hard to get a glimpse of what is on the other side of this wall, while for us is it so easy.” Soon afterwards I found a way to climb up that wall, only to see another one ahead. On top of that one was a rock formation that had a shape of a smiling head, looking directly at whoever climbs up where I ended up.

I realized that I reached a point after which I do not want to go any further. The lesson while hiking Mt. Roberts in Canada that taught me I shouldn’t take hiking lightly was still working strong within me. And so I sat down on that rocky wall, observing the head in front of me, as well as other formations and the overall surroundings. It was a strange moment – tranquil, mystical, and full of life. It was as if stories were narrated to me, without using words. As if I was placed where legends once lived, though now turned to stone. An eerie feeling started overcoming me, and I decided it is now time to go back down. Because I applied an additional effort to remember how I went up, it wasn’t difficult to reach the bottom. Nevertheless, I would advice extra caution to whoever attempts this on their own, and to inquire previously about the animals that might be present.

On the way to the unsurmountable obstacle.

The observing smiling guardian at the end of the path.

Can you see the head of an extraterrestrial here?

More formations.

Upon returning the sun was already on another point of the sky, and the side of the cliff where the doorway is was in shade. I have now seen a few local people passing through to reach their crops, and some of them stopped at the Amaru Muru doorway. It seemed to me they were very aware of the energy, and that many were coming in hope of “re-charging their batteries”. The boy from the entrance booth came again, telling me about a tunnel that starts from the opposite side of the hill, as well as cave paintings and the “Table with seven points”. Sure I wanted to see it, but first I checked out the structure right across the doorway, which seemed interesting. He showed me the inscription of the Christuan-looking cross on it, which he claimed was here before Spaniards came. Then we went to the back side of the hill where the tunnel was. This involved crawling into a narrow passage, which I did not feel comfortable doing, He did get in and from the inside he showed me the entrance to the cave by using his flashlight. Some people think that there are tunnels here that go far into the Northwest of Peru, some say even up to Cusco. Another claim states that the tunnel connects Amaru Muru with Copacabana – the starting point to Islands of the Sun and the Moon on lake Titicaca.

Strange formations on other side of the hill.

The Table of Seven Points at Amaru Muru.

Amaru Muru cave painting.

The boy then showed me another cave, which was easier to enter. Inside were strange paintings, for which I later learned that they could have been related to ceremonial purposes. The final thing he showed me was the rock bottom that has seven points carved in. Interestingly, according to the legend that I mentioned in the beginning about the priest called Amaru Muru who fled through the portal, his temple was called the Temple of Seven Rays, and the disc he used to activate it was called the Disc of Seven Rays. From that back side of the doorway, the rocky shapes were even more prominent. The boy said that the water of Titicaca lake once reached all the way to Amaru Muru, and the erosion left formations that we have today. He also pointed out to the biggest of them, which is the formation of a face of a Sleeping man on top of the hill. With much gratitude did I buy one of his handicrafts, a stone from Amaru Muru that will always remind me of this amazing place, unlike anything I have seen before. What was the purpose of this site? Why is it so charged with energy? Does it really connects to a dimensional field? These are some of the question that may stuck with you upon seeing this fascinating place of Amaru Muru.

Dario Papic, November 2017.