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Façade of the Upper complex of Buildings facing East.
The Temple of the Sun with a semicircular tower, the Torréon, which may have been used as an observatory,on a perfectly carved outcrop and on whose lower part of the Tower lies the Royal Tomb. One of its two windows faces East and the other Southeast (direction of Inti Punku). On the winter solstice (21st of June) the sun shines through the eastern window, while on the Summer solstice (21st December) shines through the Southeast window.
View of the inner part of the Entrance Gate (left). Partial view of the Urban Sector (right).
The Temple of the Three Windows, which lies on the eastern side of the plaza, whose facade has these mysterious windows with a view of the rising sun.
The Principal Temple, whose carved walls are some of the best in the entire city. The lateral walls have five niches each, while the rear wall has seven.
The Eastern sector of the Industrial District
On the way to the step-like sculpture - Intihuatana meaning "Hitching post of the Sun" dedicated to Inti and believed to have been designed as an astronomic clock or calendar by the Incas (left). View from its top (right).
On the way to the Sacred Rock (left). The Sacred Rock is similar to the rock and the mountain behind it. For many people it concentrates great energetic power (right).
Detail of the Condor head (left) in front of the Temple of the Condor (right) in the Sout-Eastern zone of the Urban Sector, whose name is associated with the fact that it resembles a condor outstretching his wings and is siad to have been dedicated to the bird worship. Its lower part could have been cells where the prisoners were confined together with poisonous insects used for torture.
Terraces varying in dimension and form, which are said to have been constructed for agricultural purposes, though according to some they maight have had other functions, such as supporting some parts of the mountain due to geological faults or improve access to certain places.
One of the 16 baths that cascade across the city, which are connected by stone-carved canals. They were not used to store or supply water but had symbolic and liturgical functions dedicated to the worship of water (right)
Views of the Huayna Pichu mountain
As we were making our way out of the site I still felt speechless ... not knowing what to say ... In the back of my mind echoed the known fact that Incas never used the wheel in any practical manner, together with the fact that the steep terrain of this area and the dense vegetation surrounding it may have rendered its use impractical if not imposssible ... so how did they move and placed these enormous stones?
The unanswered questions together with the majestic views and the confirmation of the archictectural mastery achieved by the Incas made the whole visit more than worthwhile ...
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