The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is located in the Andes Mountains in Peru. The UNESCO World Heritage site was built during the fifteenth century and abandoned after a few centuries. The site is famous for its intricate dry stone walls and astronomical alignments. From its great height, visitors can enjoy magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Machu Picchu is a fascinating Inca citadel built in the fifteenth century in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The site, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famous for its intricately designed buildings, elaborate dry stone walls, and intricate astronomical alignments. It offers panoramic views of the surrounding region. The city is located on top of a humpback mountain, called Huayna Picchu. The ruins are single-storey and built with local white granite. The upper and lower ceremonial buildings are separated by a long plaza.
The city was built in the fifteenth century by the Inca ruler Pachacutec and became the capital of the Inca Empire. The ruins of the city and its temples are preserved after the Spanish conquest. In addition to Macchu Picchu, you can visit the nearby city of Cusco, which boasts Inca ruins and Spanish colonial architecture.
Originally, the city was built as a royal retreat, religious center and mausoleum of the Incas. The mysterious abandonment of the site allowed it to preserve its integrity and beauty. The Inca Trail, which crossed the Urubamba Valley, led to the site. The trip started from Cusco along the mountainside, passing through Ollantaytambo and Pisac.
It is a sanctuary
Located in the heart of the Peruvian Andes, Machu Picchu is a magnificent ancient Inca sanctuary. It is perched on a narrow Andean mountain range, overlooking a rugged river canyon. Designed by the Incas, the ancient citadel blends seamlessly into its surroundings. Scientists have long wondered why the site is located where it is. The answer may lie in geological faults.
Machu Picchu is also home to a diverse variety of animals and plants. There are more than 420 different species of birds, including the famous qhapac nan, and at least fifteen different types of reptiles and lizards. There are also more than two dozen types of snakes and some species of amphibians.
The Sanctuary is under the care of a national authority, which is responsible for its administration. In 2007, a UNESCO mission expressed grave concern about the management of the Sanctuary. They also noted the lack of oversight by government ministries and the lack of a comprehensive plan for the site.
The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is one of the most important pre-Columbian sites in America and is an outstanding symbol of national pride for the Peruvian people. It was a royal winter retreat and mausoleum of the Inca kings of Cuzco. The site has been inaccessible since the Spanish conquest of Peru in the fifteenth century, but was discovered in 1911.
It is an astronomical observatory
In Macchu Picchu, a team of Polish and Peruvian researchers has studied the Intimachay Astronomical Grotto. Its results will be presented in the first week of September at the International Conference of the Societe Europeenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture in Athens. Research focuses on stone conservation, 3D documentation and archaeoastronomy.
The team has conducted extensive archaeological research at the site since 2008, focusing on its archaeoastronomical significance. Their findings were presented at the International Conference of the Societe Europeenne pour l’Astronomie dans la Culture in Athens, Greece, in September 2013.
It is also believed that several of the astronomical features of the complex were built with astronomical observations in mind. The Intihuatana stone, also known as Saywa or Sukhanka stone, is specifically designed to hook the sun on the equinoxes. On March 21, for example, the sun will settle directly on the stone, without creating shade. This means that it would be possible to calculate the first morning constellation exit.
The ancient Incas gave great importance to the stars and the sky. They saw the moon and sun as gods and were very interested in their movement. The Incas built elaborate structures to track the positions of these celestial bodies, which were considered crucial events.
It was a citadel
The ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru was a citadel that served as a place of worship. Its tangled forest and narrow entrance made access difficult, but the site was inhabited by three generations of Incas. After the death of the Incas, they left the citadel mysteriously. As a result, many people were unaware of the existence of the citadel and the routes leading to it were not accessible to ordinary citizens. As a result, the city slowly faded from the historical record.
The citadel sits at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters above sea level, and visitors will first see the Puerta del Sol when they reach it. Visitors will then need to purchase a ticket to enter the site, which costs USD$30. Once inside, they can also pick up a map and a local guide. The city sits on terraced slopes between spectacular mountain peaks.
The site is composed of grayish-white granite, which contains high amounts of minerals. The Incas excavated these rocks 250 million years ago. Today, the site sits just below the Urubamba River and is framed by snow-capped Andean peaks.
Machu Picchu is a mountain spur
The ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu sit atop a mountain at 7972 feet above sea level in Peru’s southern Urubamba province. The site is surrounded by dense forestation. UNESCO has listed the site as a World Heritage Site. It was the last refuge of the Inca empire before they were destroyed by the Spanish conquerors in the sixteenth century. Researchers have discovered that the ruins are built on two ridges of a mountain spur: a gentle eastern slope and a steeper western slope.
The ruins of Machu Picchu are considered one of the seven wonders of the world, and it is one of the most significant archaeological sites ever discovered. It is surrounded by lush forest, which makes the site incredibly difficult to access. Apart from the ruins, it is also home to a vast network of irrigation systems and residential buildings.
Among the ruins are the ruins of Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu, which rise prominently above the citadel. Huayna Picchu means “young peak” in Quechua, and the original road to the summit was built by the Incas. It’s a half- to two-hour round-trip hike that’s about 7,000 feet high.
Machu Picchu was hidden from view
When the Spanish conquistadors conquered the Inca empire, they destroyed most of the Inca cities, but Macchu Picchu was still standing. The city was built on a mountain, hidden from view and completely autonomous. It was watered by natural springs and surrounded by agricultural terraces. Its inhabitants lived off the land and had no written language. Because of this, it was up to oral historians to pass important information back and forth.
Although many sources label Machu Picchu as the lost city of the Incas, there is a different story behind the legend. In the early twentieth century, explorer Hiram Bingham introduced the city to the world. In addition to Bingham, other explorers visited the site during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
After Hiram Bingham found it, he named it Machu Picchu, which means “Old Mountain” in the Quechua language. Bingham’s expedition had been searching for Vilcabamba, but instead found Machu Picchu. He shared this discovery with the world in 1913.
Machu Picchu is a marvel of human engineering.
Machu Picchu is an archaeological site in Peru, and is considered one of the wonders of the world. It was built by the Incas, and is a masterpiece of human engineering and architecture. The site is built entirely of stone blocks, and the buildings fit comfortably into the side of an inaccessible mountain in the Andes. The site was initially overlooked by the Spanish, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Incas built a water supply and drainage system. The main water ponds are called Paqchas and are fed by several springs in the area. The canals themselves are approximately 700 meters long and ten to sixteen centimeters wide, and have a capacity of three hundred and fifty gallons per minute.
The structures of Machu Picchu were also used as astronomical observatories. The ‘Intihuatana’ stone, also known as ‘Saywa’ stone or ‘Sukhanka stone’, is carved in such a way that it falls on the sun at its equinoxes. The stone also has an interesting peculiarity: on March 21, the midday sun is located almost directly on the stone, without casting a shadow.
