You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
The Luxury Peru Travel Company
www.luxuryperu.travel
Guided Tour of Machu Picchu (2 – 3 Hours)
The ‘Holy Grail’ for lovers of Inca
monuments, the enigmatic lost city
of Machu Picchu is the most
famous archaeological site in all of
South America and possibly the
world.
The spectacular collection of
temples, terraced hills and plazas
was the mountain-top citadel of
the Inca under Pachacutec and
Tupac Yupanqui, until the coming
of the Europeans with Pizarro.
SIGNATURE COLLECTION
It may have the most familiar
name, but Machu Picchu has refused to reveal many of its mysteries, including the secrets of its construction, function,
and demise. The overgrown ruins were discovered by US historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, and the quality of the
stonework hints that it was an extremely important ceremonial site.
The remains are thought to date from around 1450, built at the height of the Inca Empire, and as they escaped being
plundered by the Spanish they include semi-intact icons and shrines that were defaced or removed at other sites.
Entering the site, a set of steps leads to the ruined Temple of the Sun and a series of altars and niches. Highlights
include the remains of ceremonial baths, the Sacred Plaza with its tremendous view across the Urubamba River valley, a
rare shrine to the sun, and a labyrinth of passageways and cells.
39