The Description of Machu Picchu ruins

The high level of preservation and the general layout of the Machu Picchu ruins are remarkable. The southern, eastern, and western portions of the Machu Picchu ruins are surrounded by dozens of stepped agricultural terraces formerly watered by a brilliant aqueduct system. Some of the terraces featured at Machu Picchu were still in use by local Indians when Bingham arrived in 1911. Machu Picchu features thousands of steps and Walkways, consisting of stone blocks as well as footholds carved into underlying rock, connect the major buildings, the cemetery, the terraces, the residential areas and the plazas. The Main Plaza at the Machu Picchu is partly divided by wide terraces and is located at the north-central end of Machu Picchu. The only formal entrance to the Machu Picchu ruins is at the southeastern end, which leads to the Inca highway (Also called The Inca Trail). In the southern part of the Machu Picchu ruin is the Sacred Rock, also known as the Temple of the Sun; it centers on an inclined rock mass with a small grotto; walls of cut stone fill in some of its irregular features. Rising above the rock is the horseshoe-shaped enclosure known as the Military Tower. The temple district is in the western part of Machu Picchu, also known as the Acropolis. The Temple of the Three Windows is a hall 35 feet (10.6 meters) long and 14 feet (4.2 meters) wide and has three trapezoidal windows (largest known in Inca architecture) located on a single wall, which is made of polygonal stones (a geometrical plane figure with three or more straight sides). It stands near the southwestern corner of the Main Plaza, which is located within the boundaries of the Machu Picchu ruins. (Continue)

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