Huaca Pucllana or Huaca Juliana is a great adobe and clay pyramid located in the Miraflores district of central Lima, Peru, built from seven staggered platforms. It served as an important ceremonial and administrative center for the advancement of the Lima Culture, a society which developed in the Peruvian Central Coast between the years of 200 AD and 700 AD. With the intended purpose of having the elite clergymen (who politically governed several valleys in the area) express their complete religious power and ability to control the use of all the natural water resources (saltwater and freshwater) of the zone, a Great Pyramid was constructed in the Huaca. As a whole, the structure is surrounded by a plaza, or central square, that borders the outer limits, and by a large structured wall dividing it into two separate sections. In one section there were benches and evidence of deep pits where offerings of fish and other marine life took place in order to attain the favor of the gods. The other section is an administrative area. This area contains various small clay structures and huts made of adobe–with some walls still standing–whose function seemed to be to act as the courtyards and patios of the enclosure which is over 500 meters in length, 100 in width and 22 in height. #awesomepic#historicculture#bestislandtraveltowns#culturalattractions

Taquile is an island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca 45 km offshore from the city of Puno. About 2,200 people live on the island, which is 5.5 by 1.6 kilometres in size, with an area of 5.72 km². The highest point of the island is 4,050 metres above sea level and the main village is at 3,950 metres. The inhabitants, known as Taquileños, speak Puno Quechua. Taquileños are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing, which are regarded as among the highest-quality handicrafts in Peru. Knitting is exclusively performed by males, beginning in early boyhood. Women spin wool and use vegetables and minerals to dye the wool to be used by the community. Women are also the weavers of the Chumpis, the wide belts with woven designs worn by everyone in the community of Taquile. #awesomepic#beautifulsunsets#bestislandtraveltowns#naturalwonders#camping#culturalattractions#beaches

Manu Biosphere Reserve is a sprawling national park in southeastern Peru, spanning Andean highlands, cloud forest and lowland jungle. It's known for its rich biodiversity, notably hundreds of bird species, including macaws, which feed at clay licks at sites such as Blanquillo. Boats run along the Manu River, past dense Amazonian jungle that is home to jaguars, black caimans and spider monkeys. The national park is divided in the following areas: the restricted use zone (with pristine forests and native communities, access is granted to researchers only); the reserved zone (for recreation and research); the recuperation zone (for the recovery of disturbed areas) and the cultural zone (for human settlement and most activities including nature tourism ). #awesomepic#loveflowers#beautifulsunsets#bestislandtraveltowns#naturalwonders#culturalattractions#nationalpark#lakes

Huayna Picchu, Quechua: Wayna Pikchu, is a mountain in Peru around which the Urubamba River bends. It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District. It rises over Machu Picchu, the so-called lost city of the Incas. The Incas built a trail up the side of the Huayna Picchu and built temples and terraces on its top. The peak of Huayna Picchu is 2,693 metres (8,835 ft) above sea level, or about 260 metres (850 ft) higher than Machu Picchu. According to local guides, the top of the mountain was the residence for the high priest and the local virgins. Every morning before sunrise, the high priest with a small group would walk to Machu Picchu to signal the coming of the new day. The Temple of the Moon, one of the three major temples in the Machu Picchu area, is nestled on the side of the mountain and is situated at an elevation lower than Machu Picchu. Adjacent to the Temple of the Moon is the Great Cavern, another sacred temple with fine masonry. The other major local temples in Machu Picchu are the Temple of the Condor, Temple of Three Windows, Principal Temple, "Unfinished Temple", and the Temple of the Sun, also called the Torreon. #awesomepic#beautifulsunsets#bestislandtraveltowns#culturalattractions

Coricancha, Koricancha, Qoricancha or Qorikancha was the most important temple in the Inca Empire. It is located in Cusco, Peru, which was the capital of the empire. Originally named Intikancha it was dedicated to Inti, and is located at the former Inca capital of Cusco. Most of the temple was destroyed after the 16th-century war with the Spanish conquistadors, as settlers also took it apart to build their own churches and residences. Much of its stonework was used as the foundation for the seventeenth-century Santo Domingo Convent. It was built after the 1650 earthquake destroyed the first Dominican convent. To construct Coricancha, the Inca used ashlar masonry, building from the placement of similarly sized cuboid stones that they had cut and shaped for this purpose. The use of ashlar masonry made the temple much more difficult to construct, as the Inca did not use any stone with a slight imperfection or break. By choosing this masonry type, the Inca intentionally demonstrated the importance of the building through the extent of the labor necessary to build the structure. Through the arduous labor needed to construct buildings with ashlar masonry, this form of construction came to signify the Inca's imperial power to mobilize and direct local labor forces. The replication throughout Andean South America of Inca architectural techniques, such as those employed at Coricancha, expressed the extent of Inca control over a vast geographic region. #awesomepic#bestislandtraveltowns#naturalwonders#culturalattractions

The Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru, located about 160 kilometres (99 mi) northwest of Arequipa. With a depth of about 1000 - 2000 m (3300 - 6600 ft) (whereas bottom is at cca 2000 m and edges are at 3000 - 4000 metres above the sea level), it is one of the deepest canyons in the world. Its length is about 70 kilometres (43 mi). The Colca Valley is a colorful Andean valley with pre-Inca rooted inhabitants, and towns founded in Spanish colonial times, still inhabited by people of the Collagua and the Cabana cultures. The local people maintain their ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces, called andenes. #awesomepic#beautifulsunsets#bestislandtraveltowns#naturalwonders#culturalattractions#camping#hiking

Machu Picchu is 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a 2,430-meter (7,970 ft) mountain ridge. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometers (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco. The Urubamba River flows past it, cutting through the Cordillera and creating a canyon with a tropical mountain climate. Most archeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest. According to the new AMS radiocarbon-dating, it was occupied from c. 1420-1532. #awesomepic#historicculture#beautifulsunsets#bestislandtraveltowns#culturalattractions#camping#hiking

The ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu sits perched on a mountaintop in the Andes Mountains at 8,047 feet above sea level. Before you visit this incredible site, it's best to spend the evening in nearby Aguas Calientes to adjust to the region's altitude. Then, take an early morning bus or hike to the citadel. It's important to know that there is an entrance fee to visit, so you'll need to book tickets well in advance of your trip. There are also additional fees to climb to Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu peaks, where you'll find more spectacular views. #themeparks#nationalpark

Machu Picchu is a site of Incan ruins, located in a mountainous region at an altitude of about 2,350 meters above sea level. Machu Picchu is above the Urubamba valley, Peru about 70 kilometers northwest of Cusco (the capital of the Inca empire). The site has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. Machu Picchu is also one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. #triplocal #themeparks#nationalpark#lakes#beaches#infinitypool