Machu Picchu

Drumroll please... I at last present to you some photos of Machu Picchu. After a few seasons of Peruvian travel they have finally arrived. And there is no rhyme or reason to why I chose the ones I did, so just enjoy them.

Intipunku, the Sun Gate, which is theoretically the first thing a visitor to Machu Picchu would have passed through upon entering the site. Now visitors come in through the center of the main site, definitely not as dramatic because...

... this is the first view of the site you get from the ancient gate. The trail you see is the new bus trail that ascends the mountain, but walking to the Sun Gate from the site is about an hour and a half roundtrip. There are some control points along the way, so obviously access was restricted in some way.

Your standard Machu Picchu overview photo.

Another standard, this time including Huayna Picchu in the background (see photos below of the hike up and down this monster).

A solar observatory of sorts, according to some.

This rock is supposedly shaped like a condor.

View from nearly atop Huayna Picchu. You can see Machu Picchu partially in the background.

Part of the Inka staircase up Huayna Picchu.

Full view of Machu Picchu from halfway up Huayna Picchu.

The "moon temple" that´s way down on the bottom of Huayna Picchu. I think this was a place for keeping important mummies.

A good example of how the Inka constructed Machu Picchu to meld with the natural landscape.

One of the sectors with the most impressive stonework at the site. Again, no mortar, no iron tools. Think about it.

Mummy storage locker under the solar observatory.

Damn, them´s some fine niches.

Some terraces below the main site where the INC is currently excavating. Check out the river below.





A good example of fine Inka waterworks.