Machu Picchu – Located 130 Km from the city of Cusco, on the canyon formed by the Urubamba River, on the slopes of the hill of the Machu Picchu mountain. Machu Picchu is one of the seven wonders of the world. The archaeological complex remain hidden behind the mist of exuberant vegetation, until the year 1911, when the famous finding was made public by the North American explorer Hiram Bingham. During the conquest, the Spaniards never attacked the place, since the last Inca bastion was in Vilcabamba and not in Machu Picchu. The Temple of the Sun is one of the buildings that displays the finest finish of all Machu Picchu. It has three windows. Two of the three windows of the temple permit the sun rays to enter in a precise way during the summer solstice (December 21) and the winter one (June 21), while the third one presents some perforation around its frame, reason why it is called Window of the Serpent.
The Temple of the three windows is thought to be a place of religious ritual and animal sacrifices.
Another monumental building in Machu Picchu is the Intihuatana, a place designed to practice the cults related to agricultural periods that included sophisticated ceremonies, where the Incas combine their engineering and astronomical knowledge with their religious beliefs. There is also the Temple of the Condor, located in the eastern urban sector of the city and has the shape of a condor. It seems to be the place where the Machu Picchu jail and punishment cells used to function
Machu Picchu – Located 130 Km from the city of Cusco, on the canyon formed by the Urubamba River, on the slopes of the hill of the Machu Picchu mountain. Machu Picchu is one of the seven wonders of the world. The archaeological complex remain hidden behind the mist of exuberant vegetation, until the year 1911, when the famous finding was made public by the North American explorer Hiram Bingham. During the conquest, the Spaniards never attacked the place, since the last Inca bastion was in Vilcabamba and not in Machu Picchu. The Temple of the Sun is one of the buildings that displays the finest finish of all Machu Picchu. It has three windows. Two of the three windows of the temple permit the sun rays to enter in a precise way during the summer solstice (December 21) and the winter one (June 21), while the third one presents some perforation around its frame, reason why it is called Window of the Serpent.
The Temple of the three windows is thought to be a place of religious ritual and animal sacrifices.