Product Description

This revised edition includes newly discovered sites. New photos and maps with full-color illustrations of real life scences from National Geographic Magazine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6367 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781555663278
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Library Journal
Machu Picchu is one of the most stunning archaeological sites on Earth. Located in the heart of the Andes in Peru, this five-centuries-old Incan relic attracts some 300,000 tourists yearly. Yet the significance of the site itself is difficult to unravel without a lot of personal knowledge or a comprehensive guidebook. Wright, who has studied the site for 25 years and has worked at Machu Picchu since 1994, and Zegarra (anthropology and archaeology, Univ. of Cuzco) have teamed up to produce a handy book for visitors who wish to guide themselves at their own pace through the site. A bound-in, fold-out color archaeological map of Machu Picchu keyed to the book's chapters and an array of black-and-white as well as color photographs will help users find and navigate the site easily and not depend on fractured live tour guide information. After reading this book, you will want to hop on the next flight to Peru. If you are unlucky enough never to visit Machu Picchu, the guide will serve as an excellent virtual tour. Recommended for general travel collections. Olga B. Wise, Compaq Computer Corp., Austin, TX
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Promotes a satisfactory low impact visit offering an early step-by-step trail through the legendary Incan site. -- Publishers Weekly, June 4, 2001

From the Inside Flap
"The Machu Picchu Guidebook is a wonderful volume. Not only does it offer a clear and well-illustrated guide to this unique site, but it incorporates new interpretations and insights of investigators actively involved in the archaeological study of Machu Picchu, including the authors themselves. I recommend it highly to all those planning a visit to Machu Picchu." —Richard L. Burger, Director, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, home to the 1912 Bingham Machu Picchu Treasures

"The best all around guide for all who've been or are going to Machu Picchu. This outstanding little book leads you step-by-step through this fabulous site with a knowledgeable text and a magnificent selection of black-and -white and color photographs. Incorporating the latest archaeological discoveries and insights, this valuable guidebook opens your eyes to the genius of the Inca and brings Machu Picchu to life as never before. Comes with the best map of the ruins ever produced. Absolutely indispensable!"
—Don Montague, president, South American Explorers

"A tour de force! Ruth Wright and Alfredo Valencia Zegarra have written the definitive guide to Machu Picchu. A delight to read, their clear and concise expert narrative is an invaluable reference for first-time and returning visitors alike. The first guide to explore in depth the architectural and engineering wonders of Machu Picchu, this guidebook recaptures the excitement of Hiram Bingham's 1911 discovery of the legendary Inca site, while at the same time providing the most up-to-date archaeological information, fully illustrated with architectural plans—including a spectacular new foldout color site plan—analytical drawings, and historic and contemporary photographs."
—Humberto Rodriguez-Camilloni, Ph.D., Professor of Architecture and Director, Henry H. Wiss Center for Theory and History of Art and Architecture, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Virginia Tech

Customer Reviews

Essential for Machu Picchu
This book is a "must have" if you are visiting Machu Picchu. I carried this book in my backpack for 4 days on the Inca Trail hike and it was well worth carrying the extra weight.

Machu Picchu is the remains of an entire urban area complete with agricultural, residential, royal and religious areas. You should plan on spending at least a day at Machu Picchu to fully experience this site. This book is all you need for a complete self-guided tour of Machu Picchu. This book covers everything in detail and packs in a lot more information and insights into the Inca culture and style of architecture than any guided tour will cover (guided tours typically last only 2-3 hours). Even if you have a guide, this book will be an useful supplement.

The book comes with a clear fold out map of the entire Machu Picchu site. The book divides the site into several zones (the Temple of the Sun area, the Royal Residence, the Sacred Plaza etc.) and devotes a separate chapter to each zone. Each chapter comes with its own maps, nice photos and concise descriptions of everything that is interesting to see in that zone. The authors have ordered the chapters according to their recommended sequence of areas for exploring Machu Picchu. I followed the same sequence and would highly recommend it also. Apart from these above chapters the book also contains several additional chapters that provide background and supplemental information. The chapter on the Inca Water Management system is particularly enlightening because the complexity of the water system is not readily apparent when you stare over the maze of ruins in Machu Picchu. Water still flows into Machu Picchu from a mountain spring and this chapter provides some insight into the ingenuity of the Inca engineers in providing ample water for the agricultural terraces and the inhabitants of the urban center. The chapter titled "Side Trips" gives you ample information on the sites around Machu Picchu like the Inca Drawbridge, the trail to the peak of Huayna Pichu and the Temple of the Moon etc. One other nice feature is that the new edition has an interesting fold-out section showing an artist's depiction of how Machu Picchu looked liked in its heyday.

If you are interested in learning more about Inca architecture, I would highly recommend Inca Architecture by Gasparini and Margolies. Hiram Bingham's Inca Land and Lost City Of The Incas are staple reads before you venture out into the land of the Incas.

Also, some general advice on visiting the Machu Picchu site. The site opens early in the morning at 6am and the site is relatively calm until the trains from Cusco start arriving at around 10:30 am onwards. If you do the Inca Trail hike you will get to Machu Picchu at sunrise. If not, I would suggest that you take the train from Cusco the previous day and spend the night in Aguas Calientes. This way you can catch the early bus to Machu Picchu (a 20 minute ride) and enjoy the site before the crowds arrive. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. Make sure you have the time and space to enjoy it!

Make sure you read it in its entirety before arrival
I purchased the book because I elected not to book a tour. I finished roughly half of the book on the train to Machu Picchu from Cusco through the Urubamba valley. I found the author's enthusiasm contagious -- by the time I arrived in Aguas Caliente, a short bus drive away from the citadel, I was excited. It was only after I physically ran into the entrance to the trail leading up to Huayna Picchu at the northern end of Machu Picchu that I learned the trail was open to the public to hike.

Huayna Picchu is the imposing peak that appears in the background of the most common image of Machu Picchu. Its peak hosts architectural structures of its own, and provides a spectacular aerial view to Machu Picchu. The very steep trail takes about an hour to climb. It is a site not to be missed in my opinion, but one has to plan in advance to visit, primarily because the entrance to the trail closes at 1pm. Huayna Picchu, though its name is mentioned in the book's preface, is not dealt in detail until close to the end of the book. This is why I suggest readers to at least skim till the end of the book before arrival.

Other reasons why the book should be read prior to arrival are for the obscure artifacts. For instance the image stones on the walls of Intiwatana (the principal temple), which supposedly represent (and replicate) the surrounding mountains can easily go neglected if one hadn't read the corresponding entries in the book -- the stones look like natural stones placed where they are by happenstance unless one knows of their significance a-priori.

The book is thorough, serves its purpose well, and as pointed out earlier, does not fail to convey the enthusiasm of the author. However I think it could have made better if it included a list of locations not to be missed upfront. Hiring a local tour guide arguably is the best option, but the book is the next best thing, especially if compared to other self-guides in print.

Priority backpack item for your trip to Machu Picchu
When you hike at high altitudes, you take your backpack weight seriously. This book is well worth its 15 ounces. It takes you through the ruins with multiple maps and illustrations. It explains what we do and don't know about the functions of the buildings and terraces. The book is organized by areas. When you reach a certain section of the ruins, you can turn to that section for pictures, descriptions and suggestions on how to walk through the area.

The section on water management illustrates the brilliance of the Inca engineers.The section on the climb up Huayna Picchu, is detailed and makes the climb less daunting. The description also give appropriate cautions about climbing there in slippery weather.

On several pages, there are photographs of the ruins next to artist's renditions of what the buildings might have looked like when they were in use in the 1500s.