• Machu Picchu means “Old Mountain” in Quechua, the Inca language.

• Hiram Bingham rediscovered the lost city in 1911.

• The lost city is located at an altitude of 2,430 meters or 7,970 feet above sea level.

• UNESCO declared Machu Picchu a World Heritage Site in 1983.

• It was declared as One of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

 

 

• The World Monuments Fund placed Machu Picchu on its Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World.

• Machu Picchu was built in the mid 1400s by Sapa Inca Pachacutec.

• It was built as a fortress or as a retreat for the Sapa Inca and his family.

• The buildings were made of hand carved gray granite stones that fitted perfectly together without the use of cement to bind them.

• About 60% of the construction lies underground as foundation for buildings, rain drainage and water canals for irrigation and consumption.

• Machu Picchu is divided in two areas, the agricultural area at the south side and the urban area at the north side.

• It is estimated that around 1000 people lived in this isolated city.

• Machu Picchu was never finished, it was abandoned.

• The lost city is located at an altitude of 2,430 meters or 7,970 feet above sea level.

• The most visited tourist attraction in Peru

• A no-fly zone restriction exists above the area.

• UNESCO set a limit of 2,500 visitors per day.

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Additional Information about Machu Picchu

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Travel Machu Picchu

The Inca citadel is located 80 km northwest the city of Cusco, it sits majestically between the mountains of Machu Picchu and Wuayna Picchu in the most unreachable area of the Urubamba River.

The Inca Civilization

The Inca Civilization was the largest Pre-Columbian Civilization in the Americas. It extended from Colombia in the north to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile in the south.

Machu Picchu Architecture

Inca architecture is most known for its polygonal stones used in many religious buildings. One stone found in a temple wall in Machu Picchu is estimated to have at least 33 corners.

Why was Machu Picchu built?

There must have been a good reason to justify the laborious construction of this magic city in such a challenging land.

Machu Picchu Sectors

There are two sectors in Machu Picchu, each sector was constructed on a natural division due to a geological fault.

Significant Machu Picchu archeological sites

The most significant archeology sites are the Temple of the Sun, Intihuatana stone, the Room of the Three Windows, water fountains or pools, Royal Mausoleum, the Residence of the Priest.

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