The Intihuatana, a sacred stone at Machu Picchu, is shown here. Inti is the Inca sun god and Huana means "hitching post". So, this is the "hitching post to the sun". The Inca believed that this stone was sacred and gave off powers. Many visitors today believe that it has a spiritual aura. It is blocked from touching because of the damage that constant contact can have. In recent years, filming crews that were allowed on location at Machu Picchu damaged the stone by dropping a camera boom and cracking the stone. Two times a year, at fall and spring equinoxes, March 21 and September 21, the sun stands directly overhead.
This room is named "Room of Three Windows". The windows show a view to three sacred peaks which surround Machu Picchu. It is believed that Pachacuti stayed in this room when he was at Machu Picchu.
This is a view of the fountains. The fountains, which still work today, provided water, but many were used for bathing. There are 16 fountains at Machu Picchu. This view is from the top looking down. The uppermost fountain was believed to be used by Pachacuti for ritual bathing. The more important you were, the higher up you were allowed to bath. Some of the fountains even have indentations which would look like cubicles for soaps.... At the bottom of this picture you can see the Rio Urubamba.
This room is called the Temple of the Condor. The condor was sacred to the Inca as it was believed to be connected to the afterlife. The three levels of Inca life were represented by the snake (the underworld), the puma (the present), and the condor (the heavens). The stone formation on the ground in this room is meant to represent the condor.
This view shows the backside of Machu Picchu as it descends down to the Rio Urubamba.
This room is named "Room of Three Windows". The windows show a view to three sacred peaks which surround Machu Picchu. It is believed that Pachacuti stayed in this room when he was at Machu Picchu.
This is a view of the fountains. The fountains, which still work today, provided water, but many were used for bathing. There are 16 fountains at Machu Picchu. This view is from the top looking down. The uppermost fountain was believed to be used by Pachacuti for ritual bathing. The more important you were, the higher up you were allowed to bath. Some of the fountains even have indentations which would look like cubicles for soaps.... At the bottom of this picture you can see the Rio Urubamba.
This room is called the Temple of the Condor. The condor was sacred to the Inca as it was believed to be connected to the afterlife. The three levels of Inca life were represented by the snake (the underworld), the puma (the present), and the condor (the heavens). The stone formation on the ground in this room is meant to represent the condor.
This view shows the backside of Machu Picchu as it descends down to the Rio Urubamba.
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