Wiñay Wayna
Wiñay Wayna is one of the most impressive inca complexes with 53-level terraces in a beautiful, concave shape. Down between an upper and lower group of buildings, a water channel runs through the type of fountains that are on all important Inca buildings.
The ruins were discovered on a Scandinavian expedition on August 25, 1941, and named the following year by the Peruvian archaeologist Julio C. Tello, who was responsible for many studies of the Incaruines around Machu Picchu. Tello named the place after an orchid that was previously widely used in the area. The orchid Wiñay Wayna blooms year-round with red, violet and yellow petals – hence the name meaning “Eternal Young”. Wayna, young, can also be spelled Huayna, as is the case at Mount Huayna Picchu.
