They wrote of palaces walled with sheets of gold, of gold and silver statues of humans and animals ... Gold was the emblem of the great Inca sun-god, and represented his generative powers.

On a sun-washed July afternoon, Brian Bauer, an archaeologist from the University of Illinois at Chicago, stands in the plaza of the sprawling Inca ceremonial site of Maukallacta, south of Cusco.

Flores said the team found an underground passage connecting two of Cusco’s key Inca monuments: the Temple of the Sun—which conquistadors ruined and covered with a Catholic church in the 16th ...

They were picked and then laid out in thin layers to dry in the sun. Imperfectly colored leaves ... and intricately decorated pouches to carry leaves. Statue of an Inca porter, holding a coca ...

including the Temple of the Sun (Coricancha) and the fortress of Sacsayhuamán. Following up on a tip by a 17th century Jesuit monk, researchers discover an Inca tunnel network under Cusco.

Small statue from Peru Some of you might just recognise ... Gold was the emblem of the great Inca sun-god, and represented his generative powers. Gold was described as "sweat of the sun" just ...

Ruled by an emperor, or Sapa Inca, who represented (and was descended from) the sun god, the Inca assimilated ... artifacts from Machu Picchu, including statues, pottery, jewelry, and even mummies.