Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a tourist center in Peru, where you can get to know the ancient architecture of the Incas. This ancient city is hidden in a green jungle at the top of a mountain at an altitude of about 2.5 kilometers above sea level. Due to the location of the buildings among the inaccessible cliffs, the name of the city means "old mountain" in translation. There are other names such as "city in the sky", "city among the clouds", "lost city of the Incas".
This mysterious city was built in the 15th century by order of the Inca ruler Pachacuteca as a royal residence. Archaeologists believe that the rulers and priests of the most ancient nation lived in Machu Picchu, and the best representatives of the Inca tribe came here. It was a religious, cultural and political center.
On the territory of about 30 thousand hectares there are stone buildings, terraces, openwork passages and stairs with a total number of about two hundred. The structures were built using stones and huge blocks weighing more than 50 tons, they were carefully adjusted one to one, without using a bonding mortar. Strong and durable structures were built according to the principle of puzzles. The surface of the stones was sanded using the juice of a specific plant, which softened the stones. The Incas discovered the secret of this plant by watching the jacacllo birds. Architectural masterpieces testify to the high precision and professionalism of the craftsmen.
The city of Machu Picchu itself is divided into two parts: the first is urban, where temples, palaces, and water springs rise, and the second is agricultural, where terraces for farming have been set up.
The most important buildings are the Sacred Square, the Temple of the Three Windows and the Temple of the Sun. The largest temples are located on two sides of the Sacred Square, including the Temple of the Three Windows, which is striking in its power. This temple has only three walls, the fourth remains open. There are three trapezoidal windows on one of the walls.
The unusual building of the Temple of the Sun is that the stones that were used for its construction were very carefully processed, turning into bricks.
For reasons unknown to this day, the city was abandoned by the population, remaining forgotten and abandoned for several centuries. The ruins of the forgotten city of Machu Picchu were rediscovered in 1911 by archaeologist Hiram Bingham. All the buildings have been preserved to this day in good condition.
The territory is home to a large number of representatives of flora and fauna, and many free-roaming llamas can be found here. The city of Machu Picchu is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
