the stone city of Machu Picchu is one of
the most fascinating archeological sites
on the planet located northwest of Cusco
Peru Machu Picchu is a testament to the
power and ingenuity of the Inca people
during its prime the Inca civilization
stretched about 2,500 miles along South
America’s Pacific coastline from
modern-day Ecuador down into Chile this
distance is nearly the horizontal width
of the continental United States Machu
Picchu located at the center of this
once expansive Empire is one of the few
well-preserved remnants of the Inca
civilization built around the mid 15th
century Machu Picchu is a stunning
example of the Incas engineering feats
the Inca constructed Machu Picchu spaces
temples terraces and infrastructure
using stone and without the help of
wheels or tools made of steel or iron
one particularly notable aspect of their
construction is forgoing the use of
mortar a material often used to bind
stones together nonetheless the stones
of Machu Picchu were cut so precisely
that they snugly fit together located on
two fault lines Machu Picchu often
experiences earthquakes but because of
the stones exceptional cut and fit they
bounce during tremors and then are able
to easily fall back into position these
engineering Marvel’s have preserved
Machu Picchu remarkable condition for
over 500 years
Machu Picchu purpose is still a mystery
to many archaeologists some theorize
that it may have served as a ceremonial
site a military stronghold or a retreat
for nobility the site’s geographic
layout may be significant in another way
many of both the man-made and natural
structures appear to align with
astronomical events
but in the early sixteenth century only
about 100 years after it was built Machu
Picchu was abandoned and since the Inca
had no written language no records exist
to explain the exact purpose of the site
although local communities knew about
Machu Picchu the site remained largely
unknown to the outside world for
hundreds of years
Spanish conquistadors who invaded the
Inca civilization in the 16th century
never came across the site it wasn’t
until the early 20th century when
Melchor Artie Yaga a local farmer
debuted Machu Picchu to outsiders when
he led Yale University professor Hiram
Bingham to the site Bingham and
successive explorers devoted much of
their academic careers to studying the
archeological wonder despite its
enigmatic nature Machu Picchu still
stands as one of the world’s most
important archaeological sites it is a
testament to the power and ingenuity of
one of the largest empires in the
Americas in 1983 UNESCO designated Machu
Picchu as a world heritage site and
today visitors from around the world
come to pay homage to this piece of
history
[Music]
you
the most fascinating archeological sites
on the planet located northwest of Cusco
Peru Machu Picchu is a testament to the
power and ingenuity of the Inca people
during its prime the Inca civilization
stretched about 2,500 miles along South
America’s Pacific coastline from
modern-day Ecuador down into Chile this
distance is nearly the horizontal width
of the continental United States Machu
Picchu located at the center of this
once expansive Empire is one of the few
well-preserved remnants of the Inca
civilization built around the mid 15th
century Machu Picchu is a stunning
example of the Incas engineering feats
the Inca constructed Machu Picchu spaces
temples terraces and infrastructure
using stone and without the help of
wheels or tools made of steel or iron
one particularly notable aspect of their
construction is forgoing the use of
mortar a material often used to bind
stones together nonetheless the stones
of Machu Picchu were cut so precisely
that they snugly fit together located on
two fault lines Machu Picchu often
experiences earthquakes but because of
the stones exceptional cut and fit they
bounce during tremors and then are able
to easily fall back into position these
engineering Marvel’s have preserved
Machu Picchu remarkable condition for
over 500 years
Machu Picchu purpose is still a mystery
to many archaeologists some theorize
that it may have served as a ceremonial
site a military stronghold or a retreat
for nobility the site’s geographic
layout may be significant in another way
many of both the man-made and natural
structures appear to align with
astronomical events
but in the early sixteenth century only
about 100 years after it was built Machu
Picchu was abandoned and since the Inca
had no written language no records exist
to explain the exact purpose of the site
although local communities knew about
Machu Picchu the site remained largely
unknown to the outside world for
hundreds of years
Spanish conquistadors who invaded the
Inca civilization in the 16th century
never came across the site it wasn’t
until the early 20th century when
Melchor Artie Yaga a local farmer
debuted Machu Picchu to outsiders when
he led Yale University professor Hiram
Bingham to the site Bingham and
successive explorers devoted much of
their academic careers to studying the
archeological wonder despite its
enigmatic nature Machu Picchu still
stands as one of the world’s most
important archaeological sites it is a
testament to the power and ingenuity of
one of the largest empires in the
Americas in 1983 UNESCO designated Machu
Picchu as a world heritage site and
today visitors from around the world
come to pay homage to this piece of
history
[Music]
you
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