Interesting Facts About Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu in Peru is one of the most mysterious, beautiful and impossible places on Earth. The Incas, who rose to power in a very short time, but who were ravaged by war and disease, built Machu Picchu. Their civilization was destroyed in less than a century. Machu Picchu is a more than 500-year-old city, imperial home or religious center perched high on a mountain ridge. The reasons for the structures of Machu Picchu are unknown. How the structures were built so high up in the mountains and without certain tools is also unknown. To some it seems an impossible feat.

The construction of Machu Picchu began sometime in the mid-15th century. While the Incans may have had knowledge of the wheel, they do not appear to have used this technology to build Machu Picchu. They had no iron tools with which to cut rock, yet the stones of Machu Picchu are beautifully cut. There is no mortar holding them together, yet they have withstood more than 500 years of weather and nearly a century of foreign visitors.

Machu Picchu is 8,000 feet above sea level in a mountain range that contains some of the highest peaks in the world. It is less than half the altitude of these astounding peaks, but it is high up enough that visitors have to acclimatize to the altitude before visiting. The Incas were likely used to the altitude, but that still does not explain why they would have put forth the extra effort that must have been needed to haul enough rocks to build close to 200 structures on the side of a mountain ridge. It does not explain how they did it, either.

The structures of Machu Picchu surround an acre of grassy field. There are also grassy terraces on the sides of the city that were once used for farming - an ingenious way to create farmable land on a mountain ridge. Waterways, fountains and irrigation systems are carved directly into the stones of Machu Picchu.

As mentioned above, there are many buildings in Machu Picchu. Some of these are thought to have been temples, complete with sacrificial altars. Others are thought to have been residences. This could indicate a city, a royal abode or a center of religious activity. Archaeologists and historians have yet to come to a universally agreed upon conclusion as to Machu Picchu's use. They have found graveyards, access roads, traded goods and many artifacts, but it is impossible to derive a concrete answer from these things. The Incans had no written language.

Machu Picchu appears to have been cut off from outsiders, given that it was left untouched when the Spanish destroyed many Incan temples around the time that Machu Picchu was abandoned. The site bears no scars of a battle or of malicious harm. The Incans built thousands of miles of roadways, some that led to Machu Picchu. Many of these roads are still usable today. It appears that the high altitude of Machu Picchu or the sheer extent of Incan roads protected it from destruction.

Locals knew of Machu Picchu when it was "discovered" by Hiram Brigham in 1911. They are unable to give any answers to the purpose of Machu Picchu. However, they do have a legend regarding the last of the Incan emperors. It says that he ran to a mountain city called Vilcabamba when the Spanish arrived in Peru. Vilcabamba is what Brigham was searching for when he found Machu Picchu. There is some debate as to whether the two are the same. Brigham thought so. A growing group of people believe that Brigham was right. He did find Vilcabamba, but it was one of his other discoveries, not Machu Picchu, that is the site of the legendary city.

Sources

The World's Principal Peaks, retrieved 5/9/11, nps.gov/archive/mora/notes/vol7-1d.htm