This is a rock that our guide said was sacred because they had carved it to represent the surrounding mountains. But archaeologists can find no evidence that it has been carved and think this is its natural shape. It would also have eroded significantly since Incan times.
This is the Inti Watania stone, or “hitching post of the sun”, which was used to determine the days of the solstices by measuring the shadows. It was originally polished to have a shiny surface.
This is another sacred rock. It was originally carved into a special shape and polished very finely. Most people think it originally matched the shape of a mountain range, but it has been eroded badly over the past 400 years. Some archaeologists even think it was originally the outline of a guinea pig or puma.
The guides say it matches this mountain. I think this is mostly because this mountain is directly behind the stone, making it harder to compare the shape while you are there.
