The Ruins of the Lost City

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Machu Picchu is divided into two sectors, the rural and urban. Access the ruins by the rural sector, where you can admire a set of stepped mountainside terraces which were cultivated by the local inhabitants up until the time when Bingham made his discovery.

Take the terrace path, then climb up the steps to your left to see the splendid view from the Casa del Vigilante. A little higher up, a path leads to the Inca Bridge . Of course, this bridge was reconstructed and now serves as a walkway, but the impressive original stonework is still visible.

Retrace your steps back to the terrace path, and turn right to see the Fuentes Sagradas, a collection of 16 terraced ceremonial baths with a waterfall similar to the one in Tambo Machay. From there, you can see the dungeons, trapezoid recesses where, according to Bingham, the prisoners stood while the recesses were filled.

Returning to the centre of site, climb the stairs and turn right to the Royal Sector , named for the fineness of its stones which are cut very differently from the other stones, leading people to believe that this structure was built for royalty. Go back to the stairs and you will find yourself right in front of the Torreón or "Sun Temple", similar to the Korinancha in Cuzco. Use the trapezoid door, whose base is riddled with holes that probably once contained pieces of gold, to access this semi-circular building. If by chance you are there early in the morning on June 21, the summer solstice, you will witness an incredible sight: one of the windows aligns perfectly with the rays of the rising sun, and bisects them.

Just below the Sun Temple is an interesting monolithic grotto called the Royal Tomb. Since no funereal remains have ever been found, this name is questionable.

A little further on is the Templo de las Tres Ventanas, or "Temple of the Three Windows", so named for its three trapezoidal windows through which the sun shone when it was at its zenith. These windows probably represented the Incas' conception of the world, which was divided into the Hanan Pacha, the spiritual world; the Kay Pacha, the physical world; and the Uhu Pacha, the world of the dead. Next to the Templo de las Tres Ventanas is a building called the "Sacristy", recognizable by its door made up of a stone which apparently has 32 corners. If you're up to it, try to find all of them.

From there, a small set of stairs takes you to one of the main attractions of this site: Intihuatana . According to legend, the Incas could "capture" the sun here, as it is the highest point of the ruins. Intihuatana is a smooth monolith that reaches towards the heavens. The protruding part was supposedly used as a sundial.

Further still, your eyes will be drawn to a very high peak called the Huayna Picchu , meaning the "young summit". Before the path that leads to Huayna Picchu is the Roca Sagrada. It is believed that this "sacred rock" was an altar used to sacrifice animals, and perhaps even humans. This holy place was probably used by the Pachamama cult which worshipped a goddess called "Mother Earth", because the blood of the victims ran onto the ground, and thus into her. Some say that this stone radiates energy through human touch. From this site, an hour's walk on a very narrow and straight path leads to the summit of Huayana Picchu, from which you will have an incredible, unforgettable view of the site and its surroundings.