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Machu Picchu is perhaps the most famous Inca citadel and draws people from far and wide. There is something magical about seeing the ancient Inca city perched high in the Andean Mountains. But it is more than a collection of ruins - every one of the ruins was once a building that once had a function. One of the most significant buildings at Machu Picchu is the Temple of the Sun.
Machu Picchu boasts a fascinating history, and there remains so much more to learn about this mysterious citadel. Machu Picchu is known to have been built as a royal estate for the first Inca Emperor, Pachacuit Inka Yupanqui, in the middle of the 15th century. It was built around 1450 but abandoned around a century later as the Spanish wrecked havoc on the Inca Empire, and it started to disintegrate.
The Inca Empire & The Building Of Machu Picchu
The Inca were not the first advanced civilization to appear in what is today Peru. There are pyramids in Peru as old as the pyramids of Egypt and the Chachapoyas culture who built the impressive Kuelap Fortress. The Inca only appeared in the Andes region around the 12th century. Over the next few hundred years, they rapidly expanded their empire to include much of western South America from northern Ecuador to central Chile, with around 12 million inhabitants. The road network they built to connect their empire is truly impressive.
The empire grew especially under the leadership of the Viracocha Inca in the early 15th century. They conquered many other civilizations that were not very much happy with being subjugated (fault lines in the empire that the Spanish would later take advantage of).
The Inca Empire was at its height in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it was during this time that Machu Picchu was built. It was built by the Inca Emperor Pachacuti.
The Temple Of The Sun - The Sacred Machu Picchu Temple
The Temple of the Sun was a sacred temple where the Incas used to make sacrifices and hold their religious ceremonies. As it was considered sacred, it was off-limits to all but priests and high-ranking Incas. The architecture of this temple is considered unique, and it was an impressive civil engineering accomplishment for the ancient Incas.
Temples like the Temple of the Sun help archeologist understand the culture, religion, and life of the Inca (who left no written record). Like much of the rest of the Machu Picchu citadel, the Temple of the Sun is well-preserved. It is believed that Inca worshiped their Sun God called Inti in this temple.
The Temple of the Sun is built over an enormous granite rock and has a tower with a trapezoidal window. The Temple of the Sun is easy to identify while exploring the citadel; it is the only building in Machu Picchu that has a circular shape.
Before the Spanish invaded, the temple likely looked splendid and was decorated with gold and silver ornaments. As the Inca state and control collapsed, the temple was ransacked (although there are still fissures that prove the ornaments were once there).
Uses And Purposes Of The Temple Of The Sun
It is also thought that the Temple of the Sun may have served other purposes. One purpose was as a royal tomb. There is a natural cave under the temple, and it is believed that the cave may have originally contained the remains of the Inca Emperor Pachacuti (although more recent studies dispute this idea and suggest the space may have been used for ceremonies to honor Mother Earth).
Another function of the temple may have been as a solar observatory, with the trapezoid window being positioned in such a way as to capture sunlight during the winter solstice on June 21st.
The Temple of the Sun was likely also used as a sacrificial center. The Inca priests would kill animals and then read their lungs and stomach.
Visiting Machu Picchu is not cheap, but it is something no one regrets. There are multiple ways to get to Machu Picchu, and one of the most popular ways is by hiking there on a multiday hike with porters to carry the baggage.
Machu Picchu's Temple of the Sun is not to be confused with many other temples around the world of the same name - including the massive Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan just out of Mexico City.