Sun Temple discovery and megalithic stonework at Machu Picchu. Bingham discovered carved caves beneath the Sun Temple, believed to be royal mausoleums The Sun Temple was lined with white granite ashlars precisely cut and fitted Stones were cut with such precision that not even a hair could fit between blocks
Bingham explored Machu Picchu, the 15th-century Inca site in Peru. The site features precisely cut white granite stones fitted so tightly that not even a hair could fit between blocks - no mortar was needed. Bingham described the stonework as exceptional. The Temple of the Sun at Machu Picchu was carved from living rock and aligned with astronomical events. While Bingham conducted significant excavations at the site in 1911-1915, local residents were already aware of Machu Picchu's existence.
Key Facts
- Bingham discovered carved caves beneath the Sun Temple, believed to be royal mausoleums
- The Sun Temple was lined with white granite ashlars precisely cut and fitted
- Stones were cut with such precision that not even a hair could fit between blocks
- The temple followed the natural curvature of the rock
- Bingham stated this was the finest stonework he had ever seen
- The blocks were so precisely fitted that no mortar was needed
- The stonework surpassed in attractiveness the best Inca walls in Cusco
Related site: Machu Picchu — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: The First Explorers of Machu Picchu: Megalithic City in the Clouds by Luke Caverns