Temple of the Condor

The Temple of the Condor in Machu Picchu is one of the most spectacular examples of what the Incas were able to do with stones in their natural position, and one of the most amazing temples in Machu Picchu. The Temple of the Condor in Machu Picchu is set up over a natural cave, taking advantage of the living rock of the mountain: among them stands out a formation that was adapted and molded to be the wings of an enormous bird, below them on the ground, a huge stone carved in the shape of the head of the condor; a condor in full landing. It is nothing less than an impressive temple, dedicated to one of the largest birds in the world.

The Andean Condor is the largest bird in South America and had the status of a god for the civilization of the Incas, it is one of the most powerful birds that exist, the majestic inhabitant of the Andes Mountains. The Temple of the Condor in Machu Picchu has wings carved into a huge rock in the mountain, while the head and neck of the bird are carved into the floor like an altar. It is possible that this altar, like a “table,” was a sacrificial altar; a mummy was discovered in the small cave beneath the wings of the condor. If you imagine it like we do, “prisoners in prison were sacrificed in honor of the condor and it is possible that they were placed on this altar to make one of the most majestic birds on the planet descend from the mountains of the Andes to the edge of the jungle in the Amazon to feast.”

The prisons

Behind the Temple of the Condor there is a cavern-shaped construction where, according to some research, prisoners or those punished in Machu Picchu were held. These “prisons” are made up of several labyrinthine niches inside an underground cave. The prisons of Machu Picchu may also have served as niches where the mummies of the most important personalities of Machu Picchu (such as priests) were placed. Currently, the entrance to the ‘prisons’ is closed to visitors.