The next day we go on a bus tour. As our bus climbs up out of Cuzco, we get this shot. Down in the "V" of the trees is the Plaza de Armas.
On top of one of the hills is the "White Christ."
Next to here are some locals in traditional garb with their llamas. You can take a picture with them for a Sol (about a third of a dollar).
The city of Cuzco was designed to be shaped like a puma, one of three animals the Incans worshipped. The puma represents power and the physical world. The snake represents intelligence and the underworld where we are reincarnated. The condor represents the spiritual connection to the gods. This grand area of Sacsayhuaman (pronounced roughly "sexy woman") is shaped as the head of the puma, though you can't tell it from this angle.
This is a statue that Wade bought with the three sacred animals. It sure sounds a lot like the physical, mental, and spiritual realms.
These stones are huge and joined without mortar. Each of these corners is a ridge of hair in the head of the puma.
The scale can't really be captured here.
The inca doorways are typically these trapezoid shapes.
A view down onto the main courtyard in the temple area.
A view from the top across to the other side of the temple. The flat land in the middle is where the people would gather to hear from the Inca King what the Sun God had revealed on the morning of June 21st. The Inca King had to talk to the Sun God before sunrise, when the Sun God obviously had to go to work.
Some random storage cave.
These stones have stood for over 500 years, and lasted through many earthquakes (sismos).