The Temple of the Sun

Our visit to Machu Picchu reveals many more details about its buildings and construction methods. A striking example is the Temple of the Sun, (which is famous in the Blondel family for its key role in the eponymous Tintin album). In Machu Picchu, this temple is a relatively small construction, partly cylindrical, with very high quality wall construction. It uses the mountain bedrock as its foundation. Two windows are carefully placed to align with the summer sunrise and winter sunset. We probably did not pay enough attention, visiting the Temple of the Sun on a rainy day!

We are impressed in general by the widespread use made by the Incas/Quechuas of the mountain bedrock, both as material for impressive in-situ carvings, and as the backbone of constructions. The approach produces strong foundations and terraces - a formidable task in this challenging environment. We saw a similar terrace construction when visiting roman temples such as Bergama in Turkey.

The Temple of the Condor also uses the bedrock, this time to form the wings of a Condor- this great bird that is so symbolic here in Peru. The wingspan of a real condor can reach an impressive 4.5m. In front, and well aligned, is a large and flat granite rock carved to represent the rest of the Condor with collar, beak, body.

One last, serendipitous, detail: our guide is dynamic, knowledgeable and joyful... and his first name is Darwin! This takes us back to our visit in 2022 to Magellan's strait and The Beagle, ship in which Darwin travelled. The discovery and exploration of South America certainly opened the eyes of Europeans to the concept of evolution. It explains how similar but different results have developed from separation in space and time on our planet -- and applies not only to plants and animals (llamas and camels for exemple) but also human arts, as with Inca vs. Roman or middle age architecture.Read more