Message #233510

[Paradox]

After: Entrance in 2007

Photograph by Chris Deeney, Alamy

The same gateway stairs are cleared of jungle growth and debris in a 2007 photograph.

Today, most of the archaeological work that happens at Machu Picchu is focused on the site's conservation, **** said.

"They keep the place in very good shape, but they do not really excavate the pre-Columbian levels of occupation," he added. "To do that, you really have to close down sections of the city for long periods of time."

(See Machu Picchu pictures submitted by National Geographic fans.)

Published July 22, 2011