Temple of the Sun, Machu Picchu, Peru Postcard

Several structures in the Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru are thought to have spiritual significance, including this "Temple of the Sun." The Urubamba River is visible in the background. Also called Torreón, the temple has an elliptical design similar to a sun temple found at the Inca capital of Cusco, Peru. The temple was built near where the Inca emperor is believed to have resided at Machu Picchu. A rock inside the temple could have served as an altar. During the June solstice the rising sun shines directly into one of the temple’s windows, and this indicates an alignment between the window, rock and solstice sun. Beneath the temple lies a natural cave, which the explorer Hiram Bingham referred to as a “royal mausoleum,” although there’s little evidence that it was used as a tomb. A boulder carved into a stairway lies near the cave entrance and the underground chamber likely served a religious function of some form. Machu Picchu is thought to be an estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti, who ruled 1438 to 1472. Machu Picchu was built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire and was abandoned in 1572. This citadel is probably the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. Although the Machu Picchu citadel is only about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Cusco, the Inca capital, the Spanish never found it and consequently did not plunder or destroy it, as they did many other sites. After Machu Picchu was abandoned, the surrounding jungle grew over the site, and few knew of its existence. American historian Hiram Bingham brought international attention to the site in 1911. The National Geographic Society devoted their entire April 1913 issue to Machu Picchu. In 1983 UNESCO designated Machu Picchu a World Heritage Site, describing it as "an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization." In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll. In 1981 Peru declared an area of 325.92 square kilometres (125.84 sq mi) surrounding Machu Picchu as a "Historical Sanctuary" It's a very popular tourist destination, but because of the pressure of it being loved to death, tourist numbers are limited each day.