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Wayna Picchu and the temple of the moon |
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Wayna Picchu, the "young mountain" |
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Owing to the documents that have been found in the last few years, we know that the site in times previous to the visit of Hiram Bingham was simply called Picchu or "mountain". It had two sections: the southern a humpbacked massif called Machu ("elder" or "old"), and the northern slender and standing erect, called Wayna ("younger" or "young"). The sanctuary is really in the middle, between the two peaks, on the crest which bridges them together. The name Machu Picchu is due to Bingham's guides' reference to the section to which they had to climb in order to arrive at the ruins.
When we arrive at the north end of the sanctuary, behind the Sacred Rock we find the path that leads to Wayna Picchu. After passing a small hill called Uņa, the path becomes a long narrow flight of steps which circles the hill on the west. Its steps, in some stretches, are carved directly into the rock. |
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Together the path, which adapts to the curves of the hill, we can appreciate small terraces for cultivation that formed part of the two gardens which adorned the sanctuary and its surroundings. Another path ascends Wayna Picchu from Mandorpampa, to the northeast. It is steeper, longer, and crosses terraces and grottos which served for keeping the dead.
On the summit, which is knife-shaped, at an altitude of 2720 m, in the middle of the rocks there is a carved stone that popular imagination has designated the "Inca's chair". There are also a few chambers and terraces. The view is impressive: the whole sanctuary is seen as though it were a scale model and in the setting one appreciates the wide horizon made up by mountain peaks, the meanders of the Urubamba and the ruggedness of the ravines. |
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