M-Destinations.blogspot.com - Machu Picchu is the largest relic of the ancient Inca civilization. Machu Picchu was built high up in the Andes mountains, Peru. The site is located 2,400 meters above sea level is located about 80 kilometers Northwest of Cuzco (the capital of the Inca Empire).
The Incas started building the site of Machu Picchu in the mid-1400 's. Over the long period of time, no one knows for sure who built this site. Most experts say that Machu Picchu was an Inca ruler masterpiece, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui.
Much speculation about the purpose of the construction of Machu Picchu. Some say Machu Picchu was built for the worship of the Sun God of the Inca. Another theory says this site was a place of settlement of the King.
The most striking feature of Machu Picchu is its architecture. This site has about 200 structures, mostly made of granite. Inca builders put up the stone with the meetings so that they don't need mortar to unite the granite stones.
There are several types of buildings in Machu Picchu. Among them are the temples, storage places, and homes. A number of houses were built in small groups around a central courtyard. Other organized March on the terracing that looked like a big ladder. Some of which is a two-storey building.
One of the most famous objects in Machu Picchu is a carved stone pillar. This pillar is called Intihuatana. Archaeologists believe this sacred pillar. This pillar is very important for the Incas because it serves to determine the position of the Sun, especially during the winter solstice, just where the Sun appears intermittently. At that time, a Minister will conduct a special ceremony. In this ceremony, he will "tie" Sun to the pillars to prevent it from disappearing.
Structures in Machu Picchu agricultural terracing surrounded. This terracing makes Macchu Picchu look as if a city carved out of the mountain. The broad channel was constructed to drain water to the crops, like corn and potatoes.
Evidence suggests that the Incas did not place Machu Picchu in a long time. They left the site about 100 years after it was built it for no apparent reason. But most historians think that the inhabitants of the site were stricken with smallpox. The nation of Spain brought the disease to Mexico, spread to the South of Peru and destroyed the Inca.
The Conqueror of Spain never knew about Machu Picchu, so they don't destroy it like they do on other Inca cities. The city was eventually covered by thick forest and remained hidden for hundreds of years.
The first modern people who discovered Machu Picchu was an American archaeologist, Hiram Bingham. He discovered it in 1911. He is also searching for the Inca city of Vilcabamba, the other.
But in 1867 the city was discovered by Augusto Berns, an adventurer who took Germany many valuable artifacts. Some locals are believed to also know about the existence of such sites.
Machu Picchu is currently
During the 1900s, Machu Picchu is becoming very popular among tourists. The town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. As much as 400,000 people visited the site in 2003.
However, the Government of Peru worried erosion slowly destroys the ancient city. Scientists have been studying the movements of the land in the area. In 2001, they warn that the slope of the slopes behind this site is unstable.
This slump down slopes with the speed of approximately 1 cm per month. This raises concerns that someday Machu Picchu will be destroyed due to landslides.
In April 2004, a landslide occurs, killing at least one person on this site. And part of the rail line that carries visitors return to the city that was damaged. In 2007, a new bridge was built to reach the site. But some experts are worrying about the large number of tourists that come may damage the ruins of the site.