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| Other sites of interest |
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 Templo del Cóndor (the Condor’s Temple)
The temple is situated on the lower level of the Inca citadel. A large carved rock shows the great Inca bird. Its head in profile, its ruff and one of its spread wings can easily be distinguished.
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 Huayna Picchu
This is Machu Picchu’s mountain symbol, which can be seen rising behind the Inca citadel in classic photographs. A steep stone path leads to the summit with its breathtaking view following the 50-minute (approximately) climb. Along the way there is a view of the Templo de la Luna (the Moon Temple) .
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| *Photographs: PromPerú |
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Peru is known world wide for Cusco and Cusco is known for Machu Picchu. This Inca citadel has the privilege of belonging to a select group of world-class monuments that millions of people want to see because of its incomparable beauty, the harmony of its landscapes and the spiritual force it projects. It was discovered in July 1911 by a United States scientific expedition under the leadership of Hiram Bingham. Considered one of the most extraordinary works of landscape architecture in the world, Machu Picchu is located on a mountaintop in the jungle fringe and dominates the deep canyon of the Urubamba River.
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Access |
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The Sanctuary is three hours by train or a 30-minute helicopter ride from the city of Cusco. Either of the routes leads to the village of Machu Picchu, also known as Aguas Calientes because of its location near a thermal water resort. Minibuses climb to the great Inca city in 25 minutes.
It is also possible to hike the Inca Trail from km 88 of the railway between Cusco and Machu Picchu, reaching the citadel in a 4-day journey and entering it through the Inti Punko o Puerta del Sol (Door of the Sun).
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Tourist Attractions |
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 Agricultural and Urban Areas
There are two major areas, one agricultural and the other urban. The first consists basically of five groups of terraces irrigated with waters that descend along channels and ponds, food storage areas and barrack huts for the tillers. The second, the sacred area, is made up of exquisitely fashioned temples, squares and royal mausoleums, like the Templo de las Tres Ventanas (The Temple of the Three Windows).
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 Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun)
Erected in honor of the Inti or Sun God, this temple is a kind of tower in the center of which stands a carved stone on two levels, like some sort of altar. Semicircular cut stones were used to build the tower.
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 Inca Palace
This building was constructed in honor of the reigning Inca, using very fine architecture, has sizeable rooms and can be reached by a long corridor. The palace is known for its large trapezoidal porticos with wide stone lintels.
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 Intihuatana
Known as the solar clock, the Intihuatana is located at the top of a small rocky formation and consists of a great rock fashioned with a jutting point that casts a shadow as the sun changes its position in the heavens. This was the site of Inca astronomical observations.
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