It has recently been named one of the new 7 Wonders of the world and it is breath-taking. Machu Picchu was built in 1450 at the height of the Inca Empire and UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site, describing it as "an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization".
It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti; it is now recognized as the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. To think that this was built over 550 years ago, it's amazing how intact the buildings are.
It was built as a settlement for about 500 Inca inhabitant, 200 of nobility and 300 basic workers. The mountain-top was primarily granite and the Incas mined this and cut the stone into blocks to build their settlement. There are about 200 buildings comprised of 92 'homes' and the rest temples and storage buildings.They cut blocks of stone to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions are so perfect that it is said not even a blade of grass fits between the stones.
The terraces were built for farming. The whole area is basically all mountains with little flat terrain for agriculture. That's the main reason for the terraced part of the settlement (and other Inca terraced land).
Although the Incas built the estate around 1450, they abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. It remained unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.
It takes a bit of travel to get here. From Cusco you need to take a bus or car-ride for about 2 hours to Ollantaytambo, then take a 1 1/2 hour train ride to Aguas Calientes. We stayed overnight in the town, then took a bus up to Machu Picchu (to our more adventurous friends, you can walk up if you want but it is steep and will take you 3 hours). But once you arrive at the site, the affect the site has on you is unforgettable.
Next stop- Santiago, Chile.
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