The Machu Picchu

Explorers!

We are glad you're back. 

Todays we are going to tell you something about the Machu Picchu we hope you will find it useful and interesting.

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. It's three primary structures are the Inti Watana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu.

The site is roughly divided into an urban sector and an agricultural sector, as well as the upper town and the lower town. The temples are part of the upper town, the warehouses are part of the lower town.

It is noteworthy that the architecture is adapted to the natural form of the mountains. You will appreciate that immediately. Approximately 200 buildings are arranged on wide parallel terraces around a vast central square that is oriented east-west. The various kanchas or compounds are long and narrow in order to exploit the terrain. Extensive terraces were used for agriculture and sophisticated channeling systems provided irrigation for the fields. Numerous stone stairways set in the walls allowed access to the different levels across the site. The eastern section of the city was probably residential. The western section, separated by the square, was for religious and ceremonial purposes. This section contains the Torreón, a massive tower which may have been used as an observatory.

Don´t forget to take notes about all of this. Anyway, you will not be lost with our guided tours.

The Residential District, is the place where the lower-class people lived. It includes storage buildings and simple houses. Located in the first zone are the primary archaeological treasures: the Inti Watana, the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows. These were dedicated to Inti, their sun god and greatest deity.

To give you a first impression of how it looks like, this picture represents the Temple of the Sun.

On the other hand, you will also have the opportunity to explore the royalty area, a sector for the nobility. It is a group of houses located in rows over a slope. The residence of the amautas (wise persons) was characterized by its reddish walls, and the zone of the ñustas (princesses) had trapezoid-shaped rooms. The Monumental Mausoleum is a carved statue with a vaulted interior and carved drawings. It was used for rites or sacrifices.

The Guardhouse is a three-sided building, with one of its long sides opening onto the Terrace of the Ceremonial Rock. The three-sided style of Inca architecture is known as the wayrona style.

We are pretty sure that the Incas were masters in the architecture. The central buildings of Machu Picchu use the classical Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. They used a technique called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions in the central city are so perfect that it is said not even a blade of grass fits between the stones.

Interested already? Well stay tuned for more interesting facts and discoveries in the coming days!