Photo by lliram Biiigliam 



A STAIRVVAV OX THK MAIN STREET l.\ MACIIU PICCHU 



Within the city an extensive system of narrow streets and granite stairways made inter- 

 commiinication relatively easy. This stairway is on the main cross street which connects 

 the vicinity of the Sacred Plaza and the chief temples with tlie east city (see pa^es 456-450). 



is most sincerely to be hoped that the 

 Peruvian government will not allow the 

 ruins to be overgrown with a dense for- 

 est, as they have been in the past. 



Although the buildings are extremely 

 well built, there is no cement or mortar 

 in the masonry, and there is no means 

 of preventing the roots of forest trees 

 from penetrating the walls and even- 

 tually tearing them all down. In several 



cases we found gigantic trees perched 

 on the very tips of the gable ends of 

 small and beautifully constructed houses. 

 It was not the least difficult part of our 

 work to cut down and get such trees out 

 of the way without seriously damaging 

 the house walls (see pages 452. 453). 



Considering all the pains that we took 

 to preser\e the ruins from further spo- 

 liation by the dense vegetation, it was 



451 



