Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour

by Alfredo Valencia Zegarra, Ruth M. Wright

Overview

This revised edition of the Machu Picchu Guidebook includes newly discovered sites. New photos and maps with full-color illustrations of real life scences from National Geographic Magazine. "The best all-around guide for all who've been or are going to Machu Picchu.. .. Absolutely indispensible." - Don Montague

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781555663278
Publisher:	Bower House
Publication date:	02/01/2004
Edition description:	Revised Edition
Pages:	188
Sales rank:	542,799
Product dimensions:	5.57(w) x 8.49(h) x 0.47(d)

Table of Contents

	Travel Tips	vii
	Preface to the Revised Edition	xiii
	Preface to the First Edition	xv
	Introduction	1
	The Guardhouse and the Terrace of the Ceremonial Rock	6
	The Western Urban Sector	15
	The Main Gate and Conjunto 1	15
	The Temple of the Sun, the Royal Mausoleum, and Conjunto 2	20
	The Royal Residence (Conjunto 3)	35
	The Rock Quarry	40
	The Sacred Plaza (Conjunto 4)	44
	The Intiwatana (Conjunto 5)	51
	The Eastern Urban Sector	59
	The Sacred Rock (Conjunto 6), the Unfinished Temple, and the Petroglyph (Peripheral Area C)	60
	Conjuntos 7 and 8 and the Unfinished Wall	66
	The Three Doorways (Conjunto 9) and the Artisans' Wall	68
	Group of the Mortars (Conjuntos 14, 15, and 16)	72
	Conjuntos 10 and 11	80
	Conjunto 12	82
	Conjunto 13 and Intimachay	84
	The Temple of the Condor (Conjunto 17) and Conjunto 18	87
	Various Sights on the Way Out	94
	The Mummies	103
	Inca Water Management	106
	Recently Discovered Inca Trail Down to the Urubamba River	112
	Side Trips	117
	Inca Drawbridge	117
	Intipunku (Gate of the Sun)	119
	Huayna Picchu, including Una Picchu and Alternate Trail to the Temple of the Moon	130
	Temple of the Moon	148
	Machu Picchu Mountain	152
	Winay Wayna	155
	The Birds of Machu Picchu	159
	Acknowledgments	163
	Figure Credits	165
	Glossary	167
	References	168
	Suggested Reading	171
	Index	173

Editorial Reviews

Machu Picchu is one of the most stunning archaeological sites on Earth. Located in the heart of the Andes in Peru, this five-centuries-old Incan relic attracts some 300,000 tourists yearly. Yet the significance of the site itself is difficult to unravel without a lot of personal knowledge or a comprehensive guidebook. Wright, who has studied the site for 25 years and has worked at Machu Picchu since 1994, and Zegarra (anthropology and archaeology, Univ. of Cuzco) have teamed up to produce a handy book for visitors who wish to guide themselves at their own pace through the site. A bound-in, fold-out color archaeological map of Machu Picchu keyed to the book's chapters and an array of black-and-white as well as color photographs will help users find and navigate the site easily and not depend on fractured live tour guide information. After reading this book, you will want to hop on the next flight to Peru. If you are unlucky enough never to visit Machu Picchu, the guide will serve as an excellent virtual tour. Recommended for general travel collections. Olga B. Wise, Compaq Computer Corp., Austin, TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

This guide presents sensible advice, clear directions, and an in- depth, knowledgeable tour through this incredible site. Wright has spent many years studying Machu Picchu with her husband (their affiliations are not given); Zegarra teaches archaeology and anthropology at the U. of Cusco in Peru. The guide is copiously illustrated with b&w photos and includes a fold out archaeological map. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Built in the mid-fifteenth century by Inca royalty and found by Hiram Bingham in 1911, Machu Picchu has become one of South America's premier travel destinations, experienced by more than 300,000 tourists every year. Ruth Wright and her husband Ken Wright of Wright Water Engineers were granted a permit in 1994 from the Instituto Nacional de Cultura de Peru to study this famous site and teamed up with resident Machu Picchu archaeologist Alfredo Valencia Zegarra to create the most authoritative, detailed, and up-to-date guide currently available to the general public. The Machu Picchu Guidebook is specifically designed to be used as a do-it-yourself tour book enhanced with a full-color fold-out map and 150 illustrations. Whether as an armchair traveler with an interest in Incan culture and artifacts, or an on-site visitor seeking to explore the marvelous wonder of this ancient Incan city, The Machu Picchu Guidebook is a rewarding, "reader friendly" guide to this grandly designed archaeological treasure.