Ancient monuments Peru

Wayna (or Huayna) Picchu is the famous peak that appears on all the postcards behind the ruins as if to enclose the landscape. This point of observation (2 693 m) in steepness costs some cold sweat and a good cardio, but offers an exceptional view on the main monuments and alleys. Count on 1h30 to 2h round trip along the numerous steps dug in the mountain, people who are afraid of heights should not go. It remains our favorite. Follow the light blue circuit 4. If you want to visit all the ruins, it will be necessary to envisage an entry Llaqta in more.

The Templo de las Tres Ventanas, which adorns the main square, looks like a puzzle of incredible precision as the polygonal blocks fit perfectly together. These are the best-cut and largest stones on the site, the main wall being 8 metres wide and 10 metres high. The windows have a trapezoidal shape and niches were to allow to leave offerings. This place was obviously used for important ceremonies.

The Templo Principal, as its name suggests, would have been one of the most important ceremonial sites in the Inca city. With its back to the temple is the Casa del Sacerdote, a place where the priests kept the sacred ornaments used during the ceremonies. On the front of the temple there is a small carved stone that represents the Southern Cross. It is believed that Wiracocha, the creator of the universe and a key figure in the Inca pantheon, was honored here. It seems that this masterpiece was never fully completed.

In its heyday, Caral, the main city and major ceremonial center of the civilization of the same name, must have numbered between 1,000 and 3,000 individuals divided into hierarchical classes and tasks. This civilization expanded and prospered for about 1,000 years. Unlike the neighboring cities of Aspero and Vichama, Caral is located in the foothills of the desert, 23 km from the coast. It has been declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Several archaeologists explored the zone as Max Uhle, Julio C. Tello, Carlos Williams or the Swiss Frederic Engel, but it is when 1996 that the works of update of the city and its satellites were completed and were diffused, of the hand of the archaeologist Ruth Shady always to the head of the project.

In the central zone, there are 32 structures or residences distributed in two main areas: Caral Alto in the north and Caral Bajo in the south. The integral circuit of 2h30 or the ligero circuit of 1h30 can be realized, the accompaniment of a guide is obligatory. In several strategic points, there are watchtowers or platforms to better observe the sites.

Caral Alto

Caral Alto, in the north, gathers the most extensive constructions and residences. There are 7 pyramids, two circular plazas, a Central Plaza, a space for collective congregation, and the smaller Plaza de la Huanca.

Pirámide Mayor (Sector E). Measures 150 meters long, 110 meters wide and 28 meters high. It stands in front of the central square where it is believed the market was located. It was the most important one of the site, the one you can see in the pictures. It was surrounded by a circular plaza and stepped platforms.

Edificio Piramidal La Cantera (Sector B), built on a rocky promontory that served as a quarry. On its top there is a circular altar, a furnace and two underground conduits.

Edificio Piramidal Central (Sector C), the^second in size with a height of 18 meters. It is located to the west of the central plaza. Next to it a small square was found that was used for rituals.

Edificio Piramidal La Galería (Sector H), at the eastern end of the city, it is the^third in height. It is connected to the site by an underground gallery.

Edificio de la Banqueta (Sector N), smaller and anecdotal.

Edificio Piramidal La Huanca (Sector I), it is here that we find a monolith planted in the ground of a height of 2,15 meters.

Caral Bajo

Caral Bajo, in the south, has smaller buildings such as the archaeological complex of the Anfiteatro or the Altar Circular.

Templo del Anfiteatro (Sector L), a fortified complex made up of a circular square in the shape of an amphitheater. It is the largest of the complex with a diameter of 29 meters. It is the most important of this part and the most famous after the Pirámide Mayor.

Edificio del Altar Circular(Sector P), where we find again a circular altar, a furnace and its conduits.

At the entrance a small museum and panels explain the development of the civilization, its prosperity, regional exchanges, the development of fishing and cotton cultivation for example. One also learns more about cosmovision, this mysterious link between men and the elements which regulated their life.

On the spot we also find toilets, a small restaurant and a store. A visit rich in teachings without any doubt. At the end of October, Caral Raymi festival.

The Montaña Machu Picchu requires a special entrance ticket. The ascent is less strong than in Wayna Picchu) and more lenient for the subjects to the vertigo, on the other hand it is more demanding, because the Montaña culminates in 3 082 meters, it is necessary to go through 650 meters of unevenness mainly in the form of steps. It takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to get there and back. The view is wider: it embraces the site, the surrounding mountains and the rivers. Follow the yellow circuit 3. If you want to visit all the ruins you will have to foresee an additional entrance to Llaqta.

It is not just one but a group of constructions slipped in the middle of the rocks. Among them are some caves that will serve to exercise rituals. There is also the name that gives its name to this package: a stone cut in the center of a large patio where many guessing the traits of a condor. In the south of this stone there are houses reserved for elites with private access to one of the sources of Machu Picchu. Buildings were also found as small pens dedicated to the breeding of cuyes (guinea pigs).

It is a larger complex of the city with only one access door, it would be the Acllahuasi (house of elected women). These women devoted themselves to religious services and fine crafts. In a large room made of polished stones, two circular mortars(morteros) on the floor would have been used to grind grains. It is also thought that these carved bowls were filled with water so that the stars would be reflected in them. The place was used for rituals. The elite resided there.

The Torreon or Templo del Sol (which Bingham also called the "Royal Tomb") is located in the nobles' quarter. This conical tower made of finely worked blocks is accessed through a door with two posts. It seems that the place was used for the ceremonies that celebrated the June solstice. The small windows in the tower were used to measure the arrival of the solstices and therefore the changes of the seasons. A fire has left traces that are still visible. Under the large rock that supports the Torreon there is a small cavity that is thought to have been a mausoleum for mummies, like a secret cave. An altar carved in the shape of a chakana (Andean cross) and trapezoidal niches for offerings have been found there. In the tower there are several sacrificial altars. Nearby were 142 skeletons, presumably mostly female. The most common hypothesis is that they wereacclas, young girls sacrificed to celebrate the cult of the Sun. But a more recent study, conducted by the American John Verano by re-examining the human remains of the Peabody Museum of Yale, showed that it was a question of skeletons of both sexes and of any age. It was even whispered that here was the mummy of the famous Inca Pachacutec, but nothing has ever been proven. This symbolic place attracts the eye and suggests that the discreet entrance below could hold important treasures. Still a mystery in suspense.

This is the largest, best distributed and most finely executed of all the residential buildings. Its entrance door leads directly to the most important spring in the city and, on the other side, at the end of a large staircase, to the Templo del Sol. There are two rooms with monolithic lintels and polished stone walls. One of these rooms is a small outbuilding that had a direct exit to the water drainage channel. There is also an enclosure for camelids and a terrace.

It is a promontory that slightly dominates the other buildings. Terraces have been built on all four sides, forming a kind of pyramid with a polygonal base. There are two wide staircases to the north and south. The southern staircase is the most interesting, as most of the 78 steps are cut from a single stone. At the very top is the Intihuatana (Quechua for "the sun is attached") rock. The rock itself has a few steps so that the priest can access it and place his offerings.

This polygon-shaped stone is about 1 meter high and 2 meters in diameter, carved in one piece. Its different faces cast shadows in relation to the movement of the sun at different times of the year. This made it possible to predict climatic changes and therefore the important moments for agriculture throughout the year. The movement of the stars was also monitored. The shadow cast by the small central pillar was used to measure the passage of time. This is why it is also called "Inca sundial".

It is said that the Intihuatana stone radiates its own energy. In the past, one could put one's hands down to feel this power. Today, one must keep a distance of a few centimeters. Some theories speak of a vortex of energy on which would be built the city of Machu Picchu with in its center the Intihuatana. This undoubtedly adds to the mystique of the place.