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Machu PicchuMachu Picchu is the most visited tourist attraction in Peru. It is

70 kms northwest of Cusco.

Machu Picchu was constructed around 1450, at the height of the

Inca empire, and was abandoned less than 100 years later, as the

empire collapsed under Spanish conquest.

The presence of numerous temples and ritual structures indicate

that Machu Picchu held spiritual significance for the Inca.

Over the centuries, the surrounding jungle grew

to enshroud the site, and few knew of its existence.

It wasnt until 1911 that american historian and explorer Hiram

Bingham brought the lost city to the worlds attention.


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Machu Picchu stands in the middle of a tropical mountain forest,

in an extraordinarily beautiful setting.

It was an amazing urban creation of Inca Empire at its height;

its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if

they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments.

The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes,encompasses the upper Amazon basin

with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.


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The space is composed of

140 constructions

including temples,

sanctuaries, parks and

residences, houses with

thatched roofs.


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Machu Picchu is a UNESCO

World Heritage site.

It is Perus most visited

tourist attraction (400,000 in

2003) and major revenue

generator. A no-fly zone

exists in the area.


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From the top, at the cliff of

Machu Picchu, is a vertical

precipice of 600 meters

ending at the foot of the

Urubamba River.


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Machu Picchu is located

about 2,350 meters above sea level.

All visits to Machu Picchu at some pointleave from Cusco, which can be reached via a

domestic flight from Lima, or international

flight from La Paz, in Bolivia.

Many tourists take morning train from Cusco (3.5 hours journey) explore

the ruins for a few hours and return to Cusco in the afternoon. From Puente

Ruinas station buses take tourists up the mountain to Machu Picchu.


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Thousands of tourists hike the Inca Traileach year,

a two to four day journey on foot

from the Urubamba valley up through the Andes mountain range.

They require travelers to be reasonably fit. The trip involves sleeping in tents.


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Bingham and others

hypothesized that the citadel

was the traditional

birthplace of the Inca people

or the spiritual center of the

virgins of the sun, whilecurators of a recent exhibit

have speculated that Machu

Picchu was a royal retreat.


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All of the construction in Machu Picchu

uses the classic Inca architectural style

of polished dry-stone walls of regular

shape. The Incas were masters of this

technique, called ashlar, in which blocks

of stone are cut to fit together tightlywithout mortar.


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How they moved and placed enormous

blocks of stones is a mystery, although the

general belief is that they used hundreds of

men to push the stones up inclined planes.


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There are more than

one hundred flights of stone stepsoften completely carved

in a single block of granite.


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It is unknown if the Incas left

behind any documentation

about building process because

the writing they employed,

called khipus, has not beentranslated.


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Llamas roam

freely over the

entire site.


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Llamas keep

the grass tidy

and are

capable ofreaching many

spots

inaccessible by

lawnmowers

or sheep.


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In 1913, the site received

significant publicity after

the National Geographic Societydevoted their entire April issue

to Machu Picchu.


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The only hotel is the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.

You pay US$715 (double), a hefty premium

because of the location, location, and location.

Guests of this hotel can enjoy

the magnificent isolation of the sanctuary.


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