Located in Peru, in the Andes, at 2,430 meters above sea level, Machu Picchu seems to emerge from the jungle. This spectacular site was built on a rocky ridge surrounded by steep ravines, covers approximately 13 km². It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983.
It is impossible to know with absolute certainty the origin of Machu Picchu. But most archaeologists agree that the Inca Emperor Pachacutec would have discovered Machu Picchu in the 15th century, during a military campaign. Seduced by the majesty of the place, whose topographical feature was easy to defend, he would have built a city.
Located between the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon basin, this sanctuary is the most important material heritage left by The Inca civilization, and one of the most outstanding architectural and artistic achievements in the world. Many mysteries related to Machu Picchu are not solved, such as knowledge of Inca astronomy.
Machu Picchu the mysterious Inca city is composed of an urban area that consists of about 200 buildings, where we still find houses reserved for the nobility and religious buildings (temple of the sun, mausoleum of the Inca ...); a rural area with terraces and irrigation channels.
After several decades of great dynamism at Machu Picchu, the valley became one of the last refuges of the Incas against the Spanish conquerors. The murder of Emperor Atahualpa by the Spaniard Pizarro marked the end of the Inca civilization.
The Spanish settlers were more interested in gold than in the remarkable architectural work done at Machu Picchu which it was also protected by its geographical location and very complicated accessibility. Machu Picchu therefore fell into oblivion for more than three centuries until he was rediscovered by the American Hiram Bingham, by chance July 24, 1911, when he sought the city of Vitco, the last refuge of the Incas.
Nowadays, Machu Picchu surprises visitors by its preservation in its beautiful mountainous environment and the remarkable technical quality of its buildings, including perfectly polished stones that are held without any type of mortar. It is not yet known how the Incas, who knew neither the wheel nor the draft animals were able to transport and carve these huge blocks of stone with such perfection.