05.08.2015.
Machu Picchu
Originally this was a small summer residence for the court of the Inca ruler between the mountains on 2400 m above see level. After 80-100 years of construction they abandoned the city unfinished during the Spanish colonisation and everyone left for the last Inca capital, Bilkabamba. An American archeologist professor of Yale, Hiram Bingham rediscovered the city in 1911. In a few years they cleaned the ruins and started the cleansing (it was cover by jungle for 400 years) and started the excavations. In 1940 opened it for visitors.
Nobody knows the original name of the city, that is way it was named after the nearest and highest mountain, which is Machi Picchu.
After arriving at the train station of the city, the tourist had to wait more than 1,5 hours for the bus, which transferred the people to the top of the mountain. I decided to walk up. 1 hour 10 minutes walk up the hill. After arriving my group was still waiting for the bus, so the guides put me in an other group.
The Incas constructed various religious and defence building, agricultural and living quarters, and terraces for the plantations. They created a special microclimate, so they could cultivate various subtropical, tropical and mountain vegetables as well. For these intensive agriculture they needed a lot of water, that was one of the reason for building Machu Picchu at that place, because there are 16 natural springs in the mountain, which they used with an extensive irrigation.
The temple of the Mother-earth (Templo de Pachamama) had two windows, one which the first rays of sun on 21st of June and 21st of December lighted the altar. Of course the whole tamale was originally covered by cold, filled with precious stones and golden and silver sculptures.
The big holly stone (La gran roca sagrada) was made forming the shape of the holly mountain next to Machu Picchu. The entrance of Machu Picchu was the Sun gate (Puerta del Sol) on the top of the holly mountain, which was built at one of the seven Inca trails leading to the city. The view were simply breathtaking from there.
