Arriving 7:00 AM at Machu Pichu we were greeted by the cool morning mist rising out of the valley. A beautiful, almost eerie sight. Machu Picchu was built and occupied by the Incas between 1450 and 1540 when the Spaniards finally defeated them. The Spaniards never did discover Machu Picchu however which partially explains why it remains in such a well preserved state. As we were guided around the site beginning at the religious temples and housing for priests and nobility on its western half, the mist burned off into a beautiful sunny day. All of the superlatives that you may have heard about the ingenuity of the Incas and their ability to create elaborate subterranean irrigation systems as well as build amazing terraces, and granite structures fitted perfectly together through elaborate carving is all true. We worked our way through this area learning about the societal structure and the religious triumvirate of Sun, Mother Earth, and the Underworld, winding up at the Sun Temple and the Sundial. The Incas were extremely precise in lining up most all of their structures to have perfect alignment with the two solar solstices and equinoxes. We eventually wound up at the northern limit of the site and the entrance to Huayna Picchu, but more on that later.
Wow! So very impressed. Sorry to have missed it.
Wow, picts are so beautiful.