Machu Picchu was built in the classical Incan style, with large stone walls. Most of Machu Picchu has been restored, which means that people have made to look like it originally did. The three main structures are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. The Intihuatana is believed to be an astronomic clock or calendar that Incans used to understand time. It is believed to have been used similarly to a sundial, or an object that casts shadows and can be used to tell time. The Spanish conquistadors actually tried to destroy all Intihuatanas that they could find in Peru, but fortunately, they couldn't get their hands on this one! The Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows were also structures related to time. All three structures were dedicated to Inti, the Incan sun god and greatest deity, or god. When we saw these incredible structures, I remember getting chills thinking how much the Incans understood about time!
Machu Picchu isn’t only appreciated by Peruvians, it is viewed as an incredibly important site globally. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, and in 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Kuélap
Travel back in time nearly 1,000 years before the creation of Machu Picchu, and you’d encounter a very different ancient Peruvian civilization: Kuélap. A citadel in a cloud forest, Kuélap was first established in the fifth century AD/CE by the Chachapoya people, but the majority of structures were built between 900 and 1100 AD/CE. Kuélap may have had about 300,000 people living there.
