✦ The Ancient Atlas

Temple of the Moon (Huayna Picchu)

TempleSouth AmericaPeruc. 1450 CEInca

Ceremonial complex of top-quality ashlar masonry set into an open granite cave (the Great Cavern) on the far side of Huayna Picchu, part of Pachacuti's Machu Picchu estate and rediscovered in 1936. Inside, fine walls hold a tall double-jamb doorway, trapezoidal niches, and a stepped throne-like sculpture carved from the living rock. Its function is unresolved (shrine, royal tomb, lookout), the 'Temple of the Moon' name is modern, and the contrast between the cave's finest masonry and the surrounding work fuels claims that the innermost construction predates the Inca.

-13.1517°, -72.5466°

Look Closer — this site carries open questions: stones fitted without mortar, almost no gap; stone harder than steel.
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Walkthrough videos (1)

Exploring the Moon Temple at Huayna PicchuExploring the Moon Temple at Huayna PicchuSorcerers of Stone

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