Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [223]
Below the temple is an almost hidden, natural rock cave that has been carefully carved, with a steplike altar and sacred niches, by the Inca stonemasons. It is known as the Royal Tomb, though no mummies were actually ever found here.
Climbing the stairs above the ceremonial baths, you reach a flat area of jumbled rocks, once used as a quarry. Turn right at the top of the stairs and walk across the quarry on a short path leading to the four-sided Sacred Plaza. The far side contains a small viewing platform with a curved wall, which offers a view of the snowy Cordillera Vilcabamba in the far distance and the Río Urubamba below.
Important buildings flank the remaining three sides of the Sacred Plaza. The Temple of the Three Windows commands an impressive view of the plaza below through the huge trapezoidal windows that give the building its name. With this temple behind you, the Principal Temple is to your right. Its name derives from the massive solidity and perfection of its construction. The damage to the rear right corner of the temple is the result of the ground settling below this corner rather than any inherent weakness in the masonry itself. Opposite the Principal Temple is what is known as the House of the High Priest.
Behind and connected to the Principal Temple lies a famous small building called the Sacristy. It has many well-carved niches, perhaps used for the storage of ceremonial objects, as well as a carved stone bench. The Sacristy is especially known for the two rocks flanking its entrance; each is said to contain 32 angles, but it’s easy to come up with a different number whenever you count them.
A staircase behind the Sacristy climbs a small hill to the major shrine in Machu Picchu, the Intihuatana. This Quechua word loosely translates as the ‘Hitching Post of the Sun’ and refers to the carved rock pillar, often mistakenly called a sundial, which stands at the top of the Intihuatana hill. The Inca astronomers were able to predict the solstices using the angles of this pillar. Thus, they were able to claim control over the return of the lengthening summer days. Exactly how the pillar was used for these astronomical purposes remains unclear, but its elegant simplicity and high craftwork make it a highlight of the complex. It is recorded that there were several of these intihuatanas in various important Inca sites, but the Spaniards smashed most in an attempt to wipe out the pagan blasphemy of sun worship.
At the back of the Intihuatana is another staircase. It descends to the Central Plaza, which separates the ceremonial sector of Machu Picchu from the more mundane residential and industrial sectors, which were not as well constructed. At the lower end of this latter area is the Prison Group, a labyrinthine complex of cells, niches and passageways, positioned both under and above the ground. The centerpiece of the group is the Temple of the Condor, which contains a carving of the head of a condor, with the natural rocks behind it resembling the Andean bird’s outstretched wings. Behind the condor is a well-like hole and, at the bottom of this, the door to a tiny underground cell that can only be entered by bending double.
INTIPUNKU
The Inca Trail ends after its final descent from the notch in the horizon called Intipunku (Sun Gate). Looking at the hill behind you as you enter the ruins, you can see both the trail and Intipunku. This hill, called Machu Picchu (Old Peak) gives the site its name. It takes about an hour to reach Intipunku, and if you can spare at least half a day for the round trip, it may be possible