The Temple of the Sun is an ancient ruin, now, but in the times of the Inca, it was a very important temple. It was built to worship the sun - whom the Incas believed was the most powerful thing in the world because it kept all humans alive. The temple isn't just known for being a shrine to that big ball of fire at the center of our solar system, however.

The Temple of the Sun was built by the ancient Inca so that on the winter solstice (June 21), each year, like clockwork, the rising sun would appear in a window of the temple and cast it's light in on the temple. It still does this, to this very day! Archeologists, to this day, can't explain how the ancient Inca were aware of the solstice or how they could have constructed the temple so precisely as to catch the rising sun as well as it does, even all of these centuries after it was built. It's a true ancient enigma that should definitely be on your list of Peru tourist attractions!

More To The Temple Of The Sun Than Just Mystery
While the temple is in ruin now, it's in surprisingly good shape considering the fact that it's many hundreds of years old. So, it's easy to marvel at the engineering abilities of the ancient Inca. They built this temple so well that it's still in pretty good shape. And the ruins against the back drop of the Peruvian countryside are positively breathtaking.

If you're looking for Peru travel tips - here's one: don't miss the Temple of the Sun! It's a truly impressive sight you won't want to miss seeing. You'll have to fight the urge to use all of your film in just this one spot!

Read Next 5 Articles
Machu Picchu Peru
Machu Picchu Hotels
Machu Picchu Tours
Aguas Calientes Hotel Machu Picchu
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu