After geting up and ready by about 5:30am to get on one of the first bus rides up to the entrance, this is the crowd and line we found waiting to get in.
Just starting our tour inside Machu Picchu, Brenda takes some pictures. It's 6:30am and the sun is up, but it hasn't come over the edge of the surrounding mountains yet.
Machu Picchu
The morning suns starts to fall on the upper parts of the ruins. People are sitting around waiting for this up near the top. We're getting a relatively uncrowded tour of the lower parts.
The Royal Tomb -aka a fancy name given to something, but people really aren't quite sure what it's about. It appears someone carved some words on the rock in there also, but I don't think it was the Incas. This sits below the Temple of the Sun.
The sun peeking over the surrounding mountains.
The sun worshipers watching the sun rise. The building is called the Guard House, with some variations that mean the same thing
Guard house and terraces in full sun now. The mounain peak in the background is Machupicchu Mountain
These cylindrically shaped stones were used as attachment points for the roof
Tie down points for a roof
Inca wall characterized by the mortarless construction and slope such that it is wider at the base to help make it earthquake proof. All the ritzy areas of the Inca ruins had them!
More stairs...
The peak is named Wayna picchu. It can be climbed, but they limit the number of people per day, and it's probably not for people who are afraid of heights. :)
The Temple of the Sun. The way the sun shines in through the opening will indicate the solstice
Machu Picchu ruins
Wayna Picchu framed by an opening
The Intihuatana Pyramid
Some of Machu Picchu's quarry area in the foreground with the surrounding snow covered mountains in the background to the west.
The Intihuatana Pyramid to the left and Wayna Picchu to the right
Looking back from the Intihuatana Pyramid. You can see from the bottom, the Sacred Plaza, the quarry area, the terraces, the Guard House, Machupicchu Mountain, and the trail heading up to the Sun Gate which is out of frame to the upper left.
I believe this is the other side of the hydroelectric plant that cuts through the mountain
Intihuatana "hitching post of the sun". It's carved from the granite of the mountain itself and is lined up with the four compass points. Similar ones were destroyed by the Spanish at other Inca sites, but Machu Picchu's remains intact.
Another view of Wayna Picchu with the resident llamas walking around below.
