Central Plaza There was originally a large monument in the middle of the plaza when Hiram Bingham discovered the site in 1911. The Peruvian military needed to fly in some dignitaries on helicopters in the past few decades, so this was the logical place to land. In order to land, however, they ordered troops to knock over and bury the monument right where it once stood.
A few of the alpacas that roam the site.
A view up to the Machu Picchu mountain that towers above the site.
