Machu Pichu is seated high in the Andes mountains in the midst of rocky crags with precipitous drops of 2,000 feet behind it. It was discovered by an explorer in 1911 - a spectacular sanctuary of the Inca Empire. The entire town was discovered nearly intact, having been abandoned long in the past.

Space was limited and houses were cleverly crowded together. Every inch of space in Machu Picchu was set aside for some use. Behind each house was a tiny garden plot only a few feet square. All the districts of the city of Machu Picchu were linked by a web of stairs, side streets, and tiny alleys. A narrow watercourse just 4” wide carried water from springs on Machu Picchu mountain along a terrace and through four stone basins, which then divided around a catch-basin. The water ran on through twelve more shallow fountains.

The Inca carved big blocks of stone. Every important town had a huge carved stone called an Intihuatana. This stone marked the days on which the sun passed overhead at noon, when the center, upright part of the stone cast no shadow. This was a great time of celebration. Chicha, or maize beer, was offered to the sun, along with many prayers of thanksgiving. Then the people danced, sang, and drank chicha for the rest of the day. While many Intihuatanas have been destroyed, the one in Machu Picchu remains to this day.