Photo Gallery

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Les champs de cultures en terrasses sur les flancs escarpés de la Sierra ont permis une utilisation rationnelle de la terre. Ceux de Moray, dans le département du Cuzco, sont de forme circulaire et auraient été employés à la culture de la coca.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
La Cordillère des Andes est semée de lieux de culte incas. Les bains de Tambo Machay, près du Cuzco, parlent en faveur de l'importance de l'eau dans la vie matérielle et spirituelle des indigènes.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Andenes, terrasses de cultures incaïques de Pisac (département du Cuzco).

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Reliés par des andenes en demi-lune, profonds de 150 mètres, les quatre «cirques» aux sept terrasses de Moray étagées en entonnoir évoquent des colisées. Toutefois, les aqueducs qui les irriguent suggèrent qu'il s'agit plutôt de gradins dédiés à la culture des pommes de terre à déshydrater (moraya) ou de «jardins d'acclimatation» de fleurs magiques.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Dans une vallée transversale partant de la Vallée sacée des Incas, les salines échelonnées de Maras sont toujours exploitées comme au temps des Incas. Selon la tradition, les Maras sont «nés» et partis de la mythologique caverne de Tamputoco avec les quatre Ayars géniteurs de la dynastie impériale.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Enigmatiques et impérissables «testaments» de l'Empire inca du Tahuantinsuyo, les temples s'ouvrent majestueusement sur Inti Cancha, la place cérémonielle du haut quartier magico-religieux de Machu Picchu, que surplombent les quatorze terrasses pyramidales de l'observatoire et acropole solaire où se trouve l'Intihuatana.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Longeant les Barracas en pente et restaurées des antiques agriculteurs, cent escaliers qui totalisent plus de trois mille marches et hauts paliers relient les deux cent soixante palais, temples, sanctuaires, thermes, autels sacrificiels, cavernes à momies et jardins «suspendus» de cet «hymne de pierre», Machu Picchu, qui est un véritable défi à la nature et qui conserve tous ses secrets!

The classic general view of the ruins of Machu Picchu from a different angle. In the middle the dominant Huayna Picchu. - 1969

Machu Picchu - Sacred Square - Main Temple and Temple of the three windows - the staircase leads to the Intihuatana - 1969

The internal drainage system of the terraces of Machu Picchu, created by the Incas, consisted of three layers, a first layer of mulch, a second of sand and a third of gravel. These layers allowed the water sucked in by the terraces not to flood the terraces, but to run downhill and be quickly absorbed without creating landslides that would endanger the city and its inhabitants. - 1976

Along the partly restored Barracas of the former farmers, 100 stairs with more than 3000 steps run down the slope. They connect 260 palaces, temples, sanctuaries, thermal baths, sacrificial altars, caves of mummies and "hanging gardens" and make Machu Picchu a "stone poem". . . a challenge of nature ... an unfathomable secret. - 1976

The imposing entrance to this palace in Ollantaytambo is amazing. Undoubtedly, the stone cones on the incredible "dice game" of the Incas were used for this purpose. Lifting the gigantic monoliths into place and putting them together without gaps. - 1976

It was not only in the area around Cusco that the Incas made intensive use of the steep slopes for terraced farming (andenes) to secure food supplies for the surrounding settlements. These are stepped, flat terraces dug into the ground on steep mountain slopes and supported by stone walls, which thus prevent soil erosion during heavy rain. The stones of the walls store heat during the day and release it to the plants at night (protection against frost). – This photograph was taken south of Cusco on the road between Checacupe and Urcos, on the upper reaches of the Vilcanota River, which flows downstream to join the Urubamba River. Peru – 1976

The picture shows the impressive archaeological site of Moray, a historic Inca terraced complex in Peru. It is situated on a high plateau in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, around 50 kilometres north-west of Cusco. The funnel-shaped design creates a temperature difference of up to 15 °C between the top and bottom terraces. The Incas used these zones to gradually acclimatise and cultivate crops from other parts of the empire (such as the coast or the tropical lowlands) to the harsh high-altitude climate of the Andes. – Peru – 1969

Along the partly restored Barracas of the former farmers, 100 stairs with more than 3000 steps run down the slope. They connect 260 palaces, temples, sanctuaries, thermal baths, sacrificial altars, caves of mummies and "hanging gardens" and make Machu Picchu a "stone poem". . . a challenge of nature ... an unfathomable secret. - 1976

The Sacred Valley of the Incas (Valle Sagrado de los Incas) in the Cusco region of Peru. On the left in the background, the Urubamba River (Río Urubamba) flows through the flat valley floor. On the right-hand side, the characteristic, curved agricultural terraces of the Incas can be seen. These served to make steep mountain slopes cultivable, prevent erosion and create microclimates for various crops (primarily maize). The flat floor of the Urubamba Valley is divided into regular, chequerboard-like fields and is still used intensively for traditional farming today. A historic, highly sophisticated system of canals runs through the fields, channelling meltwater from the surrounding Andean glaciers directly onto the cultivated land. – 1969

The picture shows the archaeological complex of Písac, one of the most significant Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru. The site is perched on a ridge above the town of Písac and is renowned for its gigantic, stepped agricultural terraces (andenes). These terraces were masterfully integrated by the Incas into the steep mountain slopes to create microclimates for the cultivation of various crops (primarily maize) whilst preventing soil erosion. At the top of the cliff, the stone remains of Inca outposts and residential buildings can also be seen, which served to defend and monitor the valley. – 1969

In a widening of the deeply incised Urubamba Valley, which links Cuzco with Machu Picchu, lies the small town of Pisac, famous for its Sunday market. On the slopes above the town, artfully laid out agricultural terraces have stretched upwards since Inca times, transforming even the steepest mountain flanks into gigantic staircases that were used for growing potatoes, maize, oca and quinoa. - Book: Picture 126 - Peru - 1976

The hilly, terraced landscape of Isla del Sol, which is the largest island in Lake Titicaca. Some of the stone terraces date back to Inca times and are still used for farming today. Lake Titicaca has deep blue water and is the highest commercially navigable lake on Earth, at an altitude of around 3,812 metres. In the background, you can see the snow-capped Cordillera Real mountain range in Bolivia. Among the most striking mountains in this region, visible from the island, is the Ancohuma (Cerro Jankhouma), which rises to over 6,400 metres. - In Inca mythology, the island is regarded as a sacred place and the origin of the sun, as well as the birthplace of the founders of the Inca Empire (Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo). Today, it is a popular destination for hikers and nature lovers, with no motorised vehicles permitted on the island. – Bolivia – 1976

The simple houses scattered across the picture, with their typical corrugated iron roofs, are characteristic of the rural communities in Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca region. The slopes reveal the millennia-old Inca and pre-Inca terraced structures for which the Incas’ sacred island is known throughout the world. – Presumably the area around Yumani on the ‘Island of the Sun’. – 1976