Machu Picchu

In the afternoon, Steve found a Peruvian tour guide to tell us more about the history of Machu Picchu.

Fun facts:
The Incas used to make sacrifices in the temples in Machu Picchu but human sacrifices (young females) were not made in the city. During times of drought or crisis, human sacrifices would be offered to the Incan gods to remedy the problem.

Approximately 500 people lived in Machu Picchu but as many as 1,000 Incas lived in the city at one time.

Machu Picchu was discovered in 1911 but Yale archaeology professor Hiram Bingham but it is highly suspected that a German explorer arrived at the ruins during the late 1800s and plundered much of the gold and riches from the city.

The llama, snake and condor were the three most important animal figures in Incan culture, representing the three levels of the world, the underworld (the snake), earth (the llama), and the sky (the condor).

Nobody is allowed on the grass area in the center of the ruins. Only the llamas are allowed and if any of the tourists meander onto the grass, the guards will blow a whistle at you.

More fun pictures














The Lost City of the Incas















The Inca Bridge





























The International Man and the International Woman atop Machu Picchu

















Words of the day: rosado=pink, rojo=red, azul=blue, verde=green, amarillo=yellow, narajana=orange