The Machu Picchu sanctuary is a wonderful tour destination praised by people both national and foreign; the citadel has many amazing features, full of interest and history. On this article we will describe a great spot in the site: the Temple of the Condor.
Temple of the Condor, the Sacred Bird of the Incas
Temple of the Condor: The King of the Andean Sky
The condor is a typical, Andean-only bird that can be thought as the South American eagle; it is not unusual to see them flying high in the region’s skies. The condor had a complex symbology for the Incas: it was linked to spiritual elevation and the overcoming of negativity in life, thus Inca priests included a temple for this animal at the Machu Picchu sanctuary, and conducted many kinds of rituals there.
The Temple of the Condor is a massive construction with irregular shape, in order to look like the natural silhouette of the surrounding mountains, blending with the natural landscape, and yet, it has the shape of the widespread wings of a condor; this bird represented spiritual wisdom and the higher level of the Inca cosmos, the Hanan Pacha.
Functions and Purposes of the Temple of the Condor
The Incas were great organizers and planners, their cities and buildings were constructed with much efficiency and sense of purpose; according to current archaeology, the Temple of the Condor had the following functions:
- A place for worshipping of an Andean sacred bird, related to wisdom and spirituality
- The building itself is coordinated with the motion of the Sun in order to guide star observation and planning varied activities accordingly
- Underneath the Temple of the Condor, was the Machu Picchu prison, where offenders were sent and locked in dungeons
- The design of the Temple of the Condor follows the Inca belief that its flight gathered clouds which will in turn generate rain, crucial for an empire whose economy was based on agriculture
The Temple of the Condor is located at the East sector of the sanctuary, where the more important buildings are: the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Sacred Rock and the religious servants accommodations.
The priests and religion were the second power in Inca empire, only under the Inca (emperor) himself; the Inca and royalty themselves had a strong connection to religion and mysticism, thus the most important building in Cusco city was the Coricancha, which was for them what the Vatican is for today’s Catholics. Therefore, the Machu Picchu citadel was a royal retreat for rest and leisure, but also a sacred place, a sanctuary with deep religious meanings.
The wonderful Temple of the Condor is one of Machu Picchu’s major historical, architectural and cultural attractions, in a place full of esotericism and mysticism.
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