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Macchu Picchu,
Inca site
in
Peru, about 50 mi of Cuzco is perched high upon a rock in a narrow saddle
between two sharp mountain peaks and overlooks the
Urubamba river 2,000 ft below. Ignored and later forgotten by Spanish colonial authorities because of its abandoned condition, the site was uncovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham . The imposing city is one of the largest
pre-Columbian sites found
virtually intact.
It contains rare examples of religious monuments, including a cared stone, the
Intiwatana, a small tower, the
Torreón, and a cave with a masonry entrance, the
Intimachay. Such indigenous shrines were generally destroyed by Spanish authorities.
Perhaps the most spectacular ruin in the Americas,
Machu Picchu
spreads over 5 sq mi, with over 3,000 steps linking its many
different levels.
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It shows admirable architectural design and execution,
including a terracing system built on extremely steep
terrain; ithas been estimated that 60% of the effort expended on construction was
devoted to creating the terraces. Archaeological and historical eidence indicates that it represents a mountain retreat of the Inca leader
Pachacuti Yupanqui, who ruled c.1438-1471.
Investigators have suggested the site may have served as a
religious sanctuary and that the masonry windows at two of
its monuments may have been aligned so as to define the June
and December solstices. Experts do not agree whether the
numerous steep walls at
Machu Picchu and surrounding
Inca sites were built as military fortifications or simply to delimit the boundaries of these special state installations.
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Peru
Macchu-picchu Incas /
Peru: Macchu-picchu / Incas
- Inka
Cuzco
Cuzco Hotels
Google maps
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