Temple of the Sun
The semicircular Temple of the Sun, constructed around a large boulder, offers commanding views of the Sacred Valley below. During the summer solstice, the sun shines through a temple window and aligns with both the boulder within and the tip of a nearby mountain peak.
Photograph by Erika Skogg, Nat Geo Image Collection

World Heritage Site Pictures: Machu Picchu

In 1911, a Peruvian guide led Yale professor Hiram Bingham up a steep mountainside and into the history books as the first Western scholar to lay eyes on the “lost city” of Machu Picchu. The Inca masterpiece is now a World Heritage site and a South American must-see.

November 9, 2015
  • National Geographic Expeditions
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