I wrote the other day about the Incas attempts, through the artistry of their stonework, to match the physical beauty surrounding them. It's not just that they worshipped the mountains they lived in; they worshipped the form of those mountains. Machu Picchu has some of the clearest examples of that in the shadow stones you see mounted on various platforms, including one of the most famous locations on the site, the Sacred Rock:
It's partially obscured by the cloud cover, but you can see how the rock is mimicking the form of the mountains behind it. Now obviously there's religious symbolism in this, since we know from the histories that the Incas found spiritual value in individual mountains and rocks. But another interpretation could be that it's the artists' showing off: "See that gorgeous vista over there? Well we can do that too!" Which is consistent with what you see elsewhere on the site - a short walk away from here is what's called "The Artisan's Wall," because no single rock in the wall is shaped the same way, and the researchers think it was built as an ostentatious display (it faces the Plaza) of their stone-shaping skills. I'll post a picture of that when I have a better Net connection.
Our one big splurge on this portion of the trip was a night in the fabulously expensive Sanctuary Lodge, located next door to the MP gate. That way we didn't have to worry about making sure to catch the last bus down at the end of the day to Aguas Caliente - a not very attractive down that is basically nothing but hotels for day trippers to the site - and we could roll out of bed and into the park today.