Temple of the Moon 3.73

The Temple of the Moon is an Incan ceremonial temple on Huayna Picchu near Machu Picchu, in Peru. The site is made up of stone masonry and an open-face, shallow cave. The temple is arbitrarily named, like many of the sites in Machu Picchu.In the center of the cave is a throne carved out of rock. Beside the throne are steps that lead deeper into the cave. It is thought that the caves were used to hold mummies. The Temple of the Moon dates back 1500 years. It was rediscovered in 1936. It lies 390m below the summit on the north side of Huayna Picchu.ArchitectureThe Temple of the Moon consists of three structural components: an overhanging cave with superb stonework, a very tall double-jamb doorway beyond, and farther beyond, several structures including one that again uses a cave. The stone work in the Temple is said to contain the three planes of the Incan religion to be depicted: the Hanan Pacha (the heavens, or world of above), the Kay Pacha (the earth, or physical life), and the Ukju Pacha (the underworld, or world of below), represented respectively by the condor, the puma, and the snake. The temple also boasts niches and fake doors inserted in the stones, with an enormous 8 meter high by 6 meter wide entrance. The premises are rectangular with the rocks of the mountains as walls. Its three doors are 1.60 meters high (in the front) and 1.00 m high (at the sides). Inside, there are six trapezoidal niches. The "temple", strictly speaking, consists of a major platform supporting a building which is raised 5 meters above the ground, with an 8 meter-high entrance. Huaca de la Luna (Temple of the Moon), contains 6 levels, built on top of the other during a 200-year span, according to Eyewitness travel guide.