Incas must have had no fear of heights. Deep down runs the river
the Sacred Plaza. They call it the room with three windows
the watersprouts are still working
the Temple of the Sun
at the Royal Tomb, the stones are perfectly fitted between the rocks
the Condor Temple with the Condor head
a view on the main square
the area for the common people
 the Sacred Rock, skillfully carved to mimic the mountain in the back
the guardhouse higher up the mountain
Machu Picchu
If you say Peru, most people will say Machu Picchu. And for good reasons, because "the lost city of the Incas" was never discovered by the Spanish and thus survived the usual plundering / demolition.
 
Heavy vegitation has caused degradation over the last 500 years or so, but most of the hardware is still intact.
The function of Machu Picchu is unclear, but most pundits think it was a kind of royal retreat. Build around 1450, only 100 years later it was abandonned when the Spanish conquered the Inca Empire.
 
Since then the site has been cleared of vegitation and some of the constructions have been restored and an access road was build.
 
Despite the thousands of tourists that visit every day, come sun, rain or snow, the place is still magnificent and pure magic.
Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 
We stood there in awe in June  2008.
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the first sight of Machu Picchu is overwhelming
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the steep terrasses are pretty impressive
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the Intiwatana rock was used to determine the solstices.
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the shallow passage in the Royal Tomb area
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