May 9

One of the many book series from Scholastic the kids devoured was Geronimo Stilton. A spin off was Thea Stilton. Our Thea was entranced by one in particular.

And thus here we were. 

I myself had been re-enjoying a book that Lori had stumbled across. “Turn Right at Machu Picchu” by Mark Adams. A well written and neatly woven retelling of Bingham’s journeys to find the Lost City of the Incas (that Machu Picchu wasn’t) and the author’s “following in the footsteps”. 

Unfortunately I had forgotten much from my first read and I hadn’t got quite through it again when we arrived at MP. Thus I didn’t notice some of the things I didn’t notice until afterwards. (The Intihuatana Stone, The Temple of the Three Windows for example). 

There was just so much to absorb. 

Again the incredible architecture, the mathematical symmetry, the astronomical precision and the artistry. 

I had been unaware that all of the Inca sites except for Choquequirao are designed to appear like the animals important to the Incas

MP was laid out in the shape of a condor when viewed from Huayna Picchu. Cusco is laid out in the shape of a puma. Choquequirao has terraces inlaid with llama mosaics. 

And an integral part of the site is the Condor Temple, shaped around the natural rock to look, well, like a condor. 

But this was just one facet of the multiple architectural wonders of the site. 

And it had Llamas.