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Machu Picchu

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Ancient History,
Classical History and Mythology; Central & South American Geography

   CAPTION: Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu^a
   UNESCO World Heritage Site

   View of Huayna Picchu towering above the ruins of Machu Picchu
   State Party Flag of Peru  Peru
   Type Mixed
   Criteria i, iii, vii, ix
   Identification # 274
   Region^b Latin America and the Caribbean

   Inscription History
   Formal Inscription: 1983
   7th Session

   a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List
   b As classified officially by UNESCO

   Machu Picchu ( Quechua: Machu Piqchu Old Peak; sometimes called the
   "Lost City of the Incas") is a well-preserved pre-Columbian Inca ruin
   located at 2,430 m (7,970 ft) on a mountain ridge. Machu Picchu is
   located above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, about 70 km (44 mi)
   northwest of Cusco. Forgotten for centuries by the outside world,
   although not by locals, it was brought back to international attention
   by archaeologist Hiram Bingham who rediscovered it in 1911, and wrote a
   best-selling work about it. Peru is pursuing legal efforts to retrieve
   thousands of artifacts that Bingham removed from the site.

History

   Machu Picchu is probably the most familiar symbol of the Inca Empire.
   Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", since 1983 the site
   has been designated as a United Nations Educational World Heritage
   Site.
   The Intihuatana ("tie the sun") is believed to have been designed as an
   astronomic clock by the Incas
   The Intihuatana ("tie the sun") is believed to have been designed as an
   astronomic clock by the Incas

   It is thought that the city was built by the Sapa Inca Pachacuti,
   starting in about 1440, and was inhabited until the Spanish conquest of
   Peru in 1532. Archaeological evidence (together with recent work on
   early colonial documents) shows that Machu Picchu was not a
   conventional city, but a country retreat town for Inca nobility
   (similar to the Roman villas). The site has a large palace and temples
   dedicated to Inca deities around a courtyard, with other buildings for
   support staff. It is estimated that a maximum of only about 750 people
   resided in Machu Picchu at any one time, and probably only a small
   fraction of that number lived in the town during the rainy season and
   when none of the nobility were visiting.

   It is thought that the site was chosen for its unique location and
   geological features. It is said that the silhouette of the mountain
   range behind Machu Picchu represents the face of the Inca looking
   upward towards the sky, with the largest peak, Huayna Picchu (meaning
   Young Peak), representing his nose.

   In 1913, the site received significant publicity after the National
   Geographic Society devoted their entire April issue to Machu Picchu.

   In 2000, some 400,000 people visited Machu Picchu, and UNESCO has
   expressed concern about the damage this volume of tourism is causing to
   the site. A maximum of 2,500 people are allowed into the ruins of Machu
   Picchu a day to prevent further deterioration of the site. Peruvian
   authorities insist that there is no problem, and that the remoteness of
   the site will impose natural limits on tourism . Periodically,
   proposals are made to install a cable car to the site, but such
   proposals have so far always been rejected .

Location

   Location of Machu Picchu
   Location of Machu Picchu

   Machu Picchu is 70 kilometers northwest of Cusco, on the crest of the
   mountain Machu Picchu, located about 2,350 meters above sea level. It
   is one of the most important archaeological centers in South America
   and as a consequence the most visited tourist attraction in Peru.

   From the top, at the cliff of Machu Picchu, is a vertical precipice of
   600 meters ending at the foot of the Urubamba River. The location of
   the city was a military secret because its deep precipices and
   mountains were an excellent natural defense.

Machu Picchu sanctuary

   In 1981 an area of 325.92 square kilometres surrounding Machu Picchu
   was declared a "Historical Sanctuary" of Peru. This area, which is not
   only limited to the ruins themselves, also includes the regional
   landscape with its flora and fauna, highlighting the abundance of
   orchids.

   One theory maintains that Machu Picchu was an Incan "llacta": a
   settlement built up to control the economy of the conquered regions and
   that it may have been built with the purpose of protecting the most
   select of the Incan aristocracy in the event of an attack. Based on
   research conducted by scholars such as John Rowe and Richard Burger,
   most archaeologists now believe that, rather than a defensive retreat,
   Machu Picchu was an estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti. Johan
   Reinhard presents evidence that the site was selected based on its
   position relative to sacred landscape features, especially mountains
   that are in alignment with key astronomical events.
   Machu Picchu Sanctuary, showing the prominent peak of Huayna Picchu
   Machu Picchu Sanctuary, showing the prominent peak of Huayna Picchu

Three sectors

   Temple of the Sun
   Temple of the Sun

   According to the archaeologists, Machu Picchu was divided in three
   great sectors: the Sacred District, the Popular District, to the south,
   and the District of the Priests and the Nobility (royalty zone).

   Located in the first zone are the primary archaeological treasures: the
   Intihuatana, the Temple of the Colors and the Room of the Three
   Windows. These were dedicated to Inti, their sun god and greatest
   deity.

   In the royalty area, a sector existed for the nobility: a group of
   houses located in rows over a slope; the residence of the Amautas (wise
   persons) was characterized by its reddish walls, and the zone of the
   Ñustas (princesses) had trapezoid-shaped rooms.

   The Monumental Mausoleum is a carved statue with a vaulted interior and
   carved drawings. It was used for rites or sacrifices.

Architecture

   Inca wall at Machu Picchu
   Inca wall at Machu Picchu

   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 tightly without mortar. Many junctions
   are so perfect that not even a knife fits between the stones.

   The Incas never used the wheel in any practical manner. 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. It is unknown if the Incas left behind any documentation about
   that process because the writing they employed, called khipus, has not
   been translated.

   The space is composed of 140 constructions including temples,
   sanctuaries, parks and residences, houses with thatched roofs.

   There are more than one hundred flights of stone steps – often
   completely carved in a single block of granite – and a great number of
   water fountains, interconnected by channels and water-drainages
   perforated in the rock, designed for the original irrigation system.
   Evidence has been found to suggest that the irrigation system was used
   to carry water from a holy spring, to each of the houses in turn, the
   order being dictated by the perceived holiness of the inhabitants.

Inca road system

   Among the thousands of roads constructed by the pre-Columbian cultures
   in South America, the roads of the Inca were some of the most
   interesting. This network of roads converged at Cusco, the capital of
   the Inca Empire. One of them went to the city of Machu Picchu. The
   Incas distinguished between coastal roads and mountain roads, the
   former was called Camino de los llanos (road of the levels) and the
   latter was called Cápac Ñam.

   Today, thousands of tourists walk the Inca roads – particularly The
   Inca Trail – each year, acclimatising at Cusco before starting on a two
   to four day journey on foot from the Urubamba valley up through the
   Andes mountain range.
   View of Machu Picchu from Huayna Picchu, showing the Hiram Bingham
   Highway used by buses carrying tourists to and from the town of Aguas
   Calientes.
   View of Machu Picchu from Huayna Picchu, showing the Hiram Bingham
   Highway used by buses carrying tourists to and from the town of Aguas
   Calientes.

Rediscovery

   On July 24, 1911, Machu Picchu was brought to the attention of the West
   by Hiram Bingham III, an American historian then employed as a lecturer
   at Yale University. He was led there by locals who frequented the site.
   This explorer/archaeologist began the archaeological studies there and
   completed a survey of the area. Bingham coined the name "The Lost City
   of the Incas", which was the title of his first book.

   Bingham had been searching for the city of Vitcos, the last Inca refuge
   and spot of resistance during the Spanish conquest of Peru. In 1911,
   after various years of previous trips and explorations around the zone,
   he was led to the citadel by Quechuans who were living in Machu Picchu
   in the original Inca infrastructure. Bingham made several more trips
   and conducted excavations on the site through 1915. He wrote a number
   of books and articles about the discovery of Machu Picchu.

   During the early years in Peru, Bingham built strong relationships with
   top Peruvian officials. As a result, he had little trouble obtaining
   necessary permission, paperwork, and permits to travel throughout the
   country and borrow archeological artifacts. Upon returning to Yale
   University, Bingham had collected around 5,000 such objects to be kept
   in Yale's care until such time as the Peruvian government requested
   their return. Recently, the Peruvian government requested the return of
   all cultural material, and at the refusal of Yale University to do so,
   was forced to consider legal action. With the oncoming change of
   government administrations in Peru, this action may be delayed for some
   time .

   Simone Waisbard, a long-time researcher of Cusco, claims Enrique Palma,
   Gabino Sánchez and Agustín Lizárraga left their names engraved on one
   of the rocks there on July 14, 1901, having re-discovered it before
   Bingham. If this is true, however, no word of their finding ever made
   it to the outside world; Bingham's work brought Machu Picchu to the
   world's attention.

Visiting Machu Picchu

   View looking down the terraced steps to the Urubamba river
   View looking down the terraced steps to the Urubamba river

   All visits to Machu Picchu at some point leave from Cusco, which can be
   reached via a domestic flight from Lima, or international flight from
   La Paz, in Bolivia. Taking the tourist train from Cusco (which takes
   3.5 hours to get to Machu Picchu), you have several options.

   The most common way is to take the train to Machu Picchu in the
   morning, explore the ruins for a few hours and return to Cusco in the
   afternoon. The train terminates at Puente Ruinas station, where buses
   take tourists up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Strangely, Machu Picchu
   station is at Aguas Calientes (2km before Puente Ruinas station) but is
   not the station used by tourists on a day trip.

   Another option is to hike the Inca Trail, on either a four-day or
   two-day version, both of which are controlled by the government. They
   require travelers to be reasonably fit. The trip takes a few days, and
   involves sleeping in tents.

   Another option is to stay overnight near the ruins themselves, rather
   than return on the same day. There are many hotels at nearby Aguas
   Calientes, but only one hotel at Machu Picchu itself. Buses run from
   Aguas Calientes to the ruins throughout the day, an 8km ride up the
   mountain (aproximatively one hour and half by walking).

   A helicopter service from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, via a 24 passenger
   Russian Mi-8 helicopter, is also available. Helicopter flights direct
   into Machu Picchu stopped in the 1970s due to concern about their
   damage to the ruins.
   A llama overlooking the city of Machu Picchu.
   A llama overlooking the city of Machu Picchu.

Concerns over Tourism

   There are a growing number of people that visit Machu Picchu (400,000
   in 2003 ), therefore some are concerned that the site is being damaged.
   For this reason, there were protests against a plan to build a further
   bridge to the site and a no-fly zone exists in the area . Unesco is
   considering putting Machu Picchu on its list of endangered world
   heritage sites.

Trivia

     * Machu Picchu recently appeared in advertisements by Royal Nepal
       Airlines encouraging tourism to Nepal. A Peruvian mountaineer
       apparently noticed the advertisement while visiting India and
       alerted Peruvian authorities. Royal Nepal Airlines has apologized
       to Peru and has apparently corrected the error.

     * In September 2000 a centuries-old sundial at Machu Picchu was
       damaged by the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency while filming
       an advertisement for Cusqueña beer.

     * Machu Picchu is featured in many video and computer games,
       including Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, Illusion of Gaia, and Skies of
       Arcadia Legends.

Placemarks

     * Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail, and the Valley of the Incas

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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