Machu Picchu: The Sacred Center

by Johan Reinhard, Alfredo E. Ferreyros (Introduction)

The book presents information to explain the meaning of Machu Picchu (and many of the key structures found at the site), including the reason for its location in such an isolated area of the Andes. This is done based on the author's years of research in the region of Machu Picchu and within the context of the importance of mountains and water in pre-Columbian religious beliefs. The author demonstrates how the sacred landscape at Machu Picchu combines with astronomical phenomena to make for an especially powerful sacred center. The second, revised edition of 2002 includes extensive use of color illustrations and an epilogue to update information since the book's first printing in 1991. The book is easy to understand, while utilizing archaeological, historical, and ethnographic information to establish a solidly based theory to explain one of South American's best known archaeological sites.

Paperback

Published July 30, 2007

About the author

Johan Reinhard received his Ph.D in anthropology from the University of Vienna, and has conducted anthropological research in the Andes for more than 20 years.

In addition to being a National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence, he is the author of over seventy publications and is a member of several organizations, including the American Anthropological Association, the Society for American Archaeology, the Explorers Club, the Institute of Andean Studies, and the Royal Geographical Society. Three museums have been built to exhibit the archeological finds made during his expeditions: the Museo Santuarios Andinos (Museum of Andean Sanctuaries) in Arequipa (Peru); the Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana (MAAM) (Museum of High Mountain Archaeology) in Salta (Argentina); and a site museum in the village of Challapampa, Island of the Sun, Lake Titicaca (Bolivia). He has received several awards for his research in the Andes, including the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 1987, the Puma de Oro (Bolivia's highest award in the field of archaeology) in 1992, the Gold Medal of the city of Arequipa in 1996, and the Explorers Medal of the Explorers Club in 2002. In 2000 he was selected by Outside magazine as one of “today’s 25 most extraordinary explorers,” and in 2001 the Ford Motor Company chose him as one of twelve "Heroes for the Planet." His latest books include "The Ice Maiden: Inca Mummies, Mountain Gods, and Sacred Sites in the Andes" (2005), "Machu Picchu: Exploring an Ancient Sacred Center" (2007), and "Inca Rituals and Sacred Mountains: A Study of the World's Highest Archaeological Sites" (with Constanza Ceruti) (2010).