The Legendary "Lost City of Machu Picchu" is with out a doubt the most important tourist attraction in Peru and one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites. Built by the Incas on the summit of "Machu Picchu" (Old Peak), overlooking the deep canyon of the Urubamba river in a semi-tropical area 75 miles from the city of Cusco at 7,000 feet above sea level.
Machu Picchu is also one of the Inca's best kept secrets, since they did not leave written records
and Spanish chronicles make no mention of the citadel, it remains a mystery. Discovered on in 1911 by the American Yale Professor Hiram Bingham. The building style is "late imperial Inca" thought to have been a sanctuary or temple inhabited by high priests and the "Virgins of the Sun" (chosen women). Excavations revealed that of the 135 skeletons found, 109 were women. No signs of post-Conquest occupation were unearthed.
The original entrance to the complex is on the southwestern side of the citadel at the end of the Inca Trail, a short walk away from "Intipunko" (Sun Gate) the ancient final check point to Machu Picchu. The present entrance on the southeastern side leads to the agricultural section.
The complex can be divided in three distinctly section: Agricultural, urban, and religious. The agricultural area consists of a series of terraces and irrigation channels that serve dual purpose, as cultivation platform- making it self sustained -, and as retention walls to avoid erosion. Some smaller buildings next to large terraces are part of this section and thought to have served as lookout posts.
The urban section starts at "the wall" that separates it from the agricultural area, this group of buildings were constructed on the ridge that descends abruptly to the Urubamba Valley. In the southern part of this section is found a series of niches carved on rock known as "the jail" with elements that include man size niches, stone rings would have served to hold the prisoner's arms, and underground dungeons. The group of refined structures next to the "the jail" is known as "the intellectuals' quarters", with tall walls, nooks, and windows built with reddish stone are considered to have been accommodations for the Amautas (high ranked teachers). One of the buildings has several circular holes carved on the rock floor named the "mortar room" believed to have been used for preparation of dyes.
The largest urban section in Machu Picchu, located on the north western part, is reached by a 67 steps staircase and involves a group of buildings not as finely constructed as other parts of the complex.
The central plaza that separates the religious from the urban section, has a great rock in the center. The religious section contains splendid architecture and masonry work, one of the most important and enigmatic is probably the Intihuatana shrine, this block of granite was presumably used to make astronomical observations.
Descending the hill next to this site is the Great Central Temple, a three walled building with fine stonework and an attached smaller temple called the "Sacristy". Next to this structure is another three walled building, known as the Temple of the Three Windows, so called because of the trapezoidal openings on the east wall. Directly across is the Royal sector, with ample buildings typical of Inca royalty. A very important structure is this section is the "Temple of the Sun", a circular tower with the best stonework of Machu Piccho. Its Recent studies show that the actual purpose was for astronomical observance.
A COURTESY OF peru-travel.com
