Lost City of the Incas
Cusco
Cusco, the center of the Incan empire, was also the spiritual hub of their known universe. It was a time when power and spiritual guidance were an ordinary part of daily life.
The sacred city of the Incas and the archaeological capital of the Americas, Cusco was designed by the legendary Inca Pachakuti.
Today the city, located in the southern part of Peru, 11,200 feet high in the Andes, has many significant attractions including its main square that the Incas called Huacaypata, the artisans quarter of San Blas, the Convent of Santo Domingo, built on top of the Temple of the Sun (Korikancha) and the palaces of the Inca and his court.
The ruins of Machu Picchu, rediscovered by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911, are among the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world.
While many of the stone structures date back to the early 1400s, the 9000 ft. high mountain top itself was considered a sacred space even sooner, dating back into the mists of time.
Many believe that the Inca used Machu Picchu as a secret ceremonial city. The ruins are of a self-contained citadel complete with palaces, baths, temples, storage spaces and houses , surrounded by agricultural terraces with natural springs providing an ample water supply.
One of the site's primary functions was to serve as an astronomical observatory. According to photographer and anthropologist Martin Gray who has made a study of sacred sites around the world, the Intihuatana stone atop Machu Picchu, called the Hitching Post of the Sun, is a precise indicator of the two equinoxes when the sun at midday stands directly above the monument's pillar, casting no shadow.
Machu Picchu is divided into two main areas: the agricultural zone made up of terracing and food storage buildings and the urban zone which features the sacred sector with its temples, royal tombs, city squares, staircases and canals.
Just outside of Cusco are the imposing ruins of Sacsayhuaman, an ancient citadel where the reenactment of the Festival of the Sun is held.
