Machupicchu

You think to visit places that leave you amazed and wanting to see more, Machu Picchu is the ideal place, an ancient citadel of the Incas, home of mysteries and ancient legends.

Machu Picchu is a word or old mountain. Its imposing architecture consists of 140 structures that make up the entire citadel. The Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu mountains are part of a large orographic formation known as the Vilca bamba Batolith, in the Central Cordillera of the Peruvian Andes.

It is one of the natural wonders of Cusco, which we can reach in a 1 day tour, a 2 hour hike one way and 1 hour return through a magnificent environment of llamas, alpacas, snow-capped mountains and streams.

Records show that the great city of Machu Picchu was built long ago by the great Inca, Pachacutec, the greatest statesman of Tahuantinsuyo, who ruled from 1438 to 1471. Archaeologists suppose that the construction of the citadel dates back to the 15th century.

To visit Machu Picchu you should take into account some recommendations such as:

• Carry a good amount of water before the ride.
• Practice breathing exercises and drink plenty of fluids.
• Avoid carrying unnecessary weight.
• Do not leave the group you come with and do not give out personal information to strangers.
• Carry sunscreen and clothing that protects you from the sun and rain.
• Listen to any indications or recommendations given by the guide.
• Have fun

Location
The Inca city of Machupicchu is located 112.5 km. northeast of Cusco, at an altitude of 2,350 meters above sea level, within the Machupicchu Archaeological Park, which includes a large territory of the Province of Urubamba in the Department of Cusco.

The area of the archeological park, urban and agricultural, covers a total of 32,592 hectares, which are covered by Supreme Decree No. 001-81-AA of January 8, 1981. It is located on the eastern slope of the Vilcabamba Mountain Range, a mountain range bordered by the Apurimac and Urubamba rivers.

To build the Inca city, the ancient Peruvians took advantage of short slopes and the very small plain of an orogenic spur called Machupicchu, consisting of a large rocky block that is part of a basolith or outcrop of volcanic rock that has a hundred to more square kilometers in extension.
The climate of the area is mild, temperate and the average temperature never drops below 13ºC.

Discovery of Machupicchu

In July 1911, an event of special significance for the life of the country occurred in Cusco. The North American professor Hiram Bingham, after arduous research, discovered the famous pre-Hispanic city of Machupicchu, a true architectural jewel that the Incas built and that remained hidden for more than four centuries, protected by the exuberant vegetation of the Urubamba canyon.

Why did the chronicles of the 16th century not speak of Machupicchu? Why was Machupicchu not destroyed by the conquistadors and the extirpators of idolatry? Why was such an important city left in oblivion for hundreds of years? The answers to these questions are a mystery, most of what is known about the origin, function and construction of Machupicchu is based on hypotheses.

The lack of knowledge that the Spaniards had of Machupicchu was due to several factors, but especially to the aggressiveness of the territory.

Before Machupicchu was discovered, it was probably part of the Qollipani and Kutija estates, and over the years the Q`ente hacienda remained as a real estate unit.

The owners of the estate would never have been able to know the whole place meter by meter because of its great extension and especially because of its rugged and irregular topography. There were people who, indeed, knew Machupicchu and even lived there, but they had no idea of its greatness or its importance, much less had the possibility of making it known to the world.

As with all kinds of discoveries, Machupicchu also had precursors, men of great courage, who, attracted by the rich treasures that were said to exist in the lost cities of this region, defied the danger of exploring the forests and mountains of the area. Places almost inaccessible due to the dense vegetation, wild and poisonous animals, as well as the total ignorance of the place.

The Cusco researcher Simone Waisbard, in his book “Machu Picchu”, tells that Enrique Palma and Gabino Sanchez were led to the monument by Agustin Lizarraga, who left an inscription dated July 14, 1901. They found Anacleto Alvarez, an indigenous man living there, who had been cultivating the leased land for eight years.