"There are places where spirits live trapped among stones...." Isabel Allende

"Nestled atop a mountain ridge in Peru, the 15th Century Inca city of Machu Picchu had sat largely forgotten for centuries -- until archaeologist Hiram Bingham began excavations of the ruins a hundred years ago this week...." 
Ker Than for National Geographic News

Photo:  from the National Geographic web site (definitely worth perusing this site -- has interesting information on Machu Picchu)

Recommended reading:  A profoundly reflective book which is completely bilingual is Machu Picchu by photographer Barry Brukoff.  Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's work, "The Heights of Macchu Picchu" is the text of the book while  Brukoff's photographs present vibrant visual images.   The prologue by Isabel Allende sets the stage:  "There are places where spirits live trapped among stones.  Those places, constructed by ancient man and today abandoned, were so sacred that their energy continues to vibrate through the centuries...."