El+Templo+de+la+Luna

=El Templo de la Luna=

History
Discovered in 1936 and dating back around 1500 years, El Templo de la Luna (Temple of the Moon) is an Incan ceremonial temple inside a cave on Huayna Picchu, near Machu Picchu in Peru. It is located about 1280 ft. below the summit of Huayna Picchu and took about 200 years to build the 6-floor temple. Although not accepted as fact, experts debate whether or not the temple received its name from the way moonlight shines inside the temple at night. Nobody knows the original use for the temple, but speculations are that it was an entrance for gods, a royal tomb, an altar for sacrifices, or a ceremonial bathing complex.

Design
There are three main structural elements to the temple. The first element is an overhanging cave with stonework surrounding it, the second element is a tall doorway, and the third is another area that uses the cave. The stonework inside the temple represents the three pieces of the Incan religion: the Hanan Pacha, the Kay Pacha, and the Ukju Pacha. The Hanan Pacha is the heavens, represented by a condor, the Kay Pacha is the physical world, represented by a puma, and the Ukju Pacha is the underworld, represented by a snake.

Travel
To get to this ancient temple, there are two primary ways. The first way is to climb Huayna Picchu and go down to the cave containing the temple from the summit. This way is dangerous, though, as it is slippery and there are only guardrails in a few places. The second way is by going off the main trail up the mountain. This way is safer, but still has its own hazards. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the temple from the second way, and an hour to come down from the summit with the first way.

By: Zac Meyers