Sacred Sites of Incas Machu Picchu

The Incan empire is often referred to as one of the last strongholds of the native population of South America before there was an influx from Europe of a newer civilization with their own ways of life, customs, and religions. Machu Picchu city - this is the star of the show when any tourist decides to invest in a mind-blowing and educational Peru holiday.

Machu Picchu is known to be a city in which the stones in the structures move and almost dance since it is built right on top of two relatively active fault lines. However, the engineering cannot be faulted as the ruins still remain remarkably well-preserved. A lot of the construction lies entirely underground giving the entire site a very mystic feel as if it harbors deep secrets. It has been speculated that it was used for ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices just like many other of the Inca sites.

Furthermore, the city also holds the fascinating Temple of the Moon. The Incas diligently tracked the movements of the ‘Mother moon’ or Mamaquilla as they called it because they began and ended their calendars according to the cycle of the moon. The moon held religious significance for the Incas because the goddess of the moon was third in order of reverence and importance and was also believed to be a feminine power more akin to women and their protection.

Macchu Picchu revered the other gods as well showing particular favor to the sun God through the symbolic gate to the city called Inti Punku or ‘gate of the sun’. There is also a temple devoted to the sun near the very highest point of the city. The ‘Temple of the Three Windows’ is another main attraction with fountains and a temple built to look like the Condor with its wings spread out ready for flight. While the idea may seem beautiful, historians believe that the Condor was clever symbolism for gruesome torture of someone who had sinned.

One issue with Machu Picchu, Peru is that it is such an ancient city, that it is lacking infrastructure, yet many people are still trying to access it. The tourism itself is not necessarily the problem because it draws attention to Peru, but the other attractions in Peru still are not being recognized. Normally, the communities surrounding attractions and cities, benefit from the tourism. However, the communities in Peru, are hardly benefitting from the tourism because the companies do not give back to the cities surrounding Machu Picchu. That upsets the residents because Machu Picchu is their home, yet they are not benefitting from its visitors. Fourteen years ago, the ancient city had half a million visitors.