Machu Picchu guide shares its lore, rituals

The remote city of Machu Picchu was abandoned after the Spanish arrived in Peru in the early 16th century, and the conquistadors never found it.
How things change.
Now, the Incan empire’s most mysterious and sacred city is visited by close to 1 million tourists a year, and increased development in the nearby tourist town of Aguas Calientes has prompted fears among conservationists and the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which monitors such sites around the world.
So, what’s the allure of Machu Picchu? Well, our guide gave us bits and pieces of insight throughout our hike and an hours-long tour of the citadel. How much time do you have?
The mystique
Archaeologists have debated the city’s purpose for almost 100 years. Some say it was a prison, others a school. Many also believed that the nearly inaccessible town was a defensive stronghold. The consensus? Most now believe that the immense site was a sacred retreat for the ninth Incan king, Pachacutec.
Who discovered Machu Picchu is also up for debate. Hiram Bingham, an American historian and Yale professor, has long been credited with rediscovering the city in 1911. But recent claims have suggested that German businessman Augusto Berns found and looted the ruins in 1867. So, although Bingham wasn’t the first to "discover" Machu Picchu, he was the first to excavate the site and present his findings to the rest of the world. He also brought many artifacts back to the United States in 1912; Yale agreed last year to return them to Peru.
The rituals
Machu Picchu’s sacred district is home to the site’s most prized archaeological treasures, including the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows (no one knows its purpose) and the ritual Intihuatana Stone. Most of the Incan empire’s Intihuatana stones were destroyed by the Spanish, but Machu Picchu’s remained intact until 2000, when it was damaged by a falling crane used in the filming of a beer commercial. Don’t miss the breathtaking Temple of the Condor; the condor’s head and feathers are carved into a rock on the ground, and two mostly natural rock formations make its wings.
The construction
The Incas were incredible masons; the walls at Machu Picchu were built with finely shaped rocks that fit together perfectly. The mortarless technique used throughout the empire served them well; the buildings still stand hundreds of years later in the earthquake-prone area.
The mountain in the background
All the famous photos of Machu Picchu show a steep peak rising behind the ruins. That is Waynu Picchu, and if your legs haven’t given out you can make one more serious climb. Hikers must sign in at a checkpoint before starting; get there early because only 400 can go up each day. They don’t want your name simply to record who’s making the hike, they need to know who to look for if you don’t make it back down.
One of us on this trip is quite afraid of heights, and just getting through the last day of the Inca Trail was hard enough. The other considered going up, but was not too upset to have missed it when she heard tales of ropes, ladders and extraordinarily steep stairs from our fellow travelers.