Machu Picchu – A Misty View
A surreal view of the mountain and city of Machu Picchu from high atop Wayna Picchu
Machu Picchu – A Misty View
Category Archives: South America
Machu Picchu – View from Wayna Picchu
Machu Picchu – View from Wayna Picchu
Misty clouds frame the city of Machu Picchu as viewed from Wayna Picchu
Machu Picchu – Through the Clouds on Wayna Picchu
Machu Picchu – Through the Clouds on Wayna Picchu
An opening in the clouds from the top of Wayna Picchu reveals the city of Machu Picchu below
Machu Picchu – Hairpin Bends to the Top
Machu Picchu – Hairpin Bends to the Top
Machu Picchu – A Windy Road to the Top
A view from higher up Wayna Picchu shows the winding road from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu on the top right
Machu Picchu – Morning Mist
Machu Picchu – Morning Mist
A steep climb to the top of Wayna Picchu on a rainy day offers a view of the morning mist surrounding the mountains
Machu Picchu – Early Morning Cloud Cover
Machu Picchu – Early Morning Cloud Cover
A cloud cover with rain greets us as we embark to climb the top of Wayna Picchu
Machu Picchu – Entrance to Wayna Picchu
Machu Picchu – Entrance to Wayna Picchu
Wayna Picchu (“young peak”) rises over Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. The Incas built a trail up the side of the Wayna Picchu and built temples and terraces on its top. The peak of Wayna Picchu is about 8,920 ft. above sea level, or about 1,180 ft. higher than Machu Picchu. A steep and at times exposed climb leads to the summit. Some portions are slippery and steel cables provide some support during the normal one-hour climb.
Machu Picchu – Stonework
Machu Picchu – Stonework
The central buildings of Machu Picchu use the classical Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions in the central city are so perfect that it is said not even a blade of grass fits between the stones.
Machu Picchu – A Different Perspective
Machu Picchu – A Different Perspective
Since the site was not known to the Spanish during their conquest, it is highly significant as a relatively intact cultural site. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.
Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of what the structures originally looked like. The restoration work continues to this day.
Machu Picchu – Gate View
Machu Picchu – Gate View
The Incas built the estate around 1450, but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.
Machu Picchu – Dark Clouds
Machu Picchu – Dark Clouds
Dark clouds accentuate the mountain in the background at the ruins of the lost city of the Incas
Machu Picchu – Mountains and Valleys
Machu Picchu – Mountains and Valleys
A view from Machu Picchu of the river valley amidst the mountains
Machu Picchu – Living at the Top
Machu Picchu – Living at the Top
Located 2,430 meters (7,970 ft.) above sea level, Machu Picchu is situated on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley. Living here must have felt like being on top of the world.
Machu Picchu – Ruins of an Inca City
Machu Picchu – Ruins of an Inca City
Machu Picchu was built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire. The construction of Machu Picchu appears to date from the period of the two great Incas, Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438-71) and Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1472-93). It was abandoned just over 100 years later, in 1572 as a belated result of the Spanish Conquest.
Machu Picchu – Valley View
Machu Picchu – Valley View
The Machu Picchu city sits in a saddle between the two mountains Machu Picchu and Huayna ( or Wayna) Picchu, with a commanding view down two valleys and a nearly impassable mountain at its back.
Machu Picchu – The Remnants of a Civilization
Machu Picchu – The Remnants of a Civilization
Machu Picchu, located in Peru, is a 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 meters (7,970 ft.) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley which is 80 kilometers (50 mi) northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Often referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas”, it is perhaps the most familiar icon of Inca civilization.
Machu Picchu – Artistic Depiction
Machu Picchu – Artistic Depiction
An artist’s version of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu
Peru – Surreal Clouds Amidst Mountains
Surreal Clouds Amidst Mountains
A view of the mountains and clouds on the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (at the base of Machu Picchu)
Peru – Mountain Clouds
Peru – Mountain Clouds
Cloud formations high up in the mountains around Sacred Valley
Peru – Fertile Land in Sacred Valley Highlands
Peru – Fertile Land in Sacred Valley Highlands
The Sacred Valley was appreciated by the Incas due to its special geographical and climatic qualities. It was one of the empire’s main points for the extraction of natural wealth, and one of the most important areas for maize production in Peru