MachuPicchu - 2

Once one gets past the wonder of the entire construction, the stonework seems the most amazing feature of MachuPicchu.  The Inca didn't use wheels because, informed thought holds, their god, the sun, is also round and it would be disrespectful to use it for work.  So they dragged their big stones around (and they used logs as rollers), and made these magnificent structures, using lots of manpower, derived as payment of taxes or slave labor.

Inca work is visible all around Peru (cities and their walls, agricultural terraces lining the countryside, temple remains, etc), and is lovely and awe-inspiring with its functionality and durability.  Their ability to "fit" stones is astounding -- they would chip and sand their stones til they fit perfectly.  They built geometrically shaped buildings, especially for temples and other important structures.  Sometimes, they carved stones into functional shapes.  And their water management was phenomenal.  These are today's photos.  Tomorrow, another approach they took.

Overview, from the south mountain.

There were so many terraces, mostly used for agriculture.

A sacrificial alter.  Accomplished by carving away parts of this huge in situ boulder.

A wall in the temple complex.

Temple of the Sun, which, given its importance, has particularly precisely fitted stones of similar size - no mortar and a knife blade can't be slipped between the stones.

Another temple, with the effects of an earthquake visible.  Amazing how well they built for earthquakes -- very little damage over the 500 years to structures.  

Another example of the carving away of bits/chunks of rock to accomplish their goal.  This, another sacrificial alter, part of the special temple. 

A temple referred to as Las Tres Ventanas (the 3 windows)  where the stone fitting is of much larger stones of greatly varying sizes.

Water management was magnificent -- this one of  the many water channels providing water year round to the complex.

Temple niches.

Temple of the Condor.  

Steve noticed these critters on the ruins.  Unknown lizard, and a chinchilla.

About 9 inches long -- clearly a survivor, regrowing its tail.

The size of a cat, with a beautiful feathery tail.