September 2002 Field Research at Machu Picchu
Wright Paleohydrological Institute's research  leaders, Ken and Ruth Wright, on site at Machu Picchu with their ever-present yellow field books.
	The WPI Team is shown here at the original Inca Spring that supplied Machu Picchu with a reliable water supply.
Stone walls and carved stairs add to the beauty and mystery of Machu Picchu.
	A jobsite conference on an uncompleted structure near the summit of Huayna Picchu Mountain includes  Dr. Alfredo Valencia, our field archaeologist in Peru.
A two-story Inca storehouse and security station with hanging terraces on Huayna Picchu Mountain illustrates the quality of Inca technology.
	View of Machu Picchu with Urubamba River in  lower right.
Kurt Loptien is in the process of measuring the flow of the Inca spring at Machu Picchu.
	WPI regularly measures Inca Spring flow for hydrological records.
The pyramid of the Intiwatana, the highest point in Machu Picchu, is a dramatic example of Inca civil engineering.
	A conference on project status is held at the top of Huayna Picchu Mountain.  Efficient use of research crews is important for the final work product.
The enigmatic niches of the Temple of the Condor contain holes that served some unknown purpose.
	Inca stonework incorporated stone walls into the natural rock in a manner to make modern stonemasons envious.
Machu Picchu has endured until modern times because of good civil engineering and attention to foundation details.
	Machu Picchu is laid out on the mountain ridge like a well designed, quilted blanket; environmental design was a hallmark of Inca civil engineering.
A drainage outlet was found in a building that was under construction in AD 1540.  This is high up on Huayna Picchu Mountain.
	A trail WPI discovered in 2002  was cleared by local macheteros we employed.  Here, Ken Wright illustrates its width.  Note the uniform slope of the trail.
Project leader Ruth Wright led the discovery of a new Inca trail up Machu Picchu Mountain.
	A summit rock at the top of Huayna Picchu Mountain has a carving on its underside, indicating that it was in the process of being moved to a different position.
An Usnu, a holy building near the top of Huayna Picchu Mountain, is inspected by the WPI reasearch team.
	A local archaeologist from Cusco joined the WPI reasearch effort to assist in documentation and exploration.  Here he documents a moyate used for grinding maize.
The thatched roof for this building dripped rainwater into the stone carved channel.
	A religious stone with special carvings graces the Inca Trail at the junction with the newly discovered trail.
The important Usnu, high up on Huayna Picchu Mountain, was measured and documented by the WPI research team.  Machu Picchu is in the right background.
	The fine Inca stonework with geometric consistency makes Machu Picchu the crown jewel of South American tourist destinations.
The summit of Huayna Picchu Mountain is topped with this carved arrow pointing south.
	The view of the plaza from the Grand Hotel Bolivar in Lima.  It is a good place to stay in downtown Lima.