MACHU PICHU
INTRODUCTION
The glorious works in the fields of architecture and culture have been the great attributes of the ancient civilizations. One thing in this regard is undoubted and definite that if you visit any historic place anywhere in the world, you will be mesmerized with the beauty and hard work which will be obvious from the masterpieces of the ancient people. To justify this statement why not has a virtual tour of UNESCO’s another World Heritage Site? This written effort is to introduce you to Peru which is a South American country. The place which we will explore is the ruins of Machu Pichu which is an historic site built in 1450. But the construction work was stopped and remained closed for almost 100 years. This beautiful historic place was unknown to the outer world till 1911 when an American historian Hiram Bingham rediscovered the place. This place was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. Its historic importance can be observed from the fact that it was included in the voting list of New Seven Wonders of World in 2007. This place belongs to the Inca World. Inca is referred as Inca Empire which was the largest empire in the pre-Columbian America.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
Machu Pichu which does mean an Old Peak is situated on a mountain ridge in Peru above the Urubamba Valley. It is 80 km northwest of Cusco which is a southeastern city in Peru. It is located at the height of 2,430 m (7970 ft) above sea level. Most of the archeologists believe that it is the most important and most familiar site in South America. In the light of facts this place is the most visited tourist attraction in Latin America. Urubamba River has surrounded the place from three sides. There are cliffs in the river rising upto the height of 450 m. Machu Pichu is located above the loop of this river.
ABOUT THE SITE
There are two portions of the site. One is called the urban sector and the other is called agricultural sector. These portions or sectors are divided by a wall. These two sectors are further divided into upper and lower sectors for agriculture sector and east and west for urban sector. This further classification is divided with plazas.
The main building of the site contains regular shape walls which are made of polished dry stone. This is the classical style in Inca architectural style. The people of the Inca Empire were masters of making buildings in such style. In this style of construction the blocks of stone are cut into square shapes with great accuracy that they hold each other tightly and no material like mortar is used between them. An advantage of not using mortar between the stones is that it provides more resistant to earthquake. These stones are held so tightly that even a blade of grass can not fit between the stones. Although the residents of that time were aware of the use of wheel but they didn’t use the device in practical terms. They used the wheel in toys. When they had not used wheel in their practical life then how they moved and placed such big blocks of stone. It is still an unanswered question and mystery.
The total number of these stone structures is 140 which includes temples, parks, sanctuaries and residences. These residences are basically houses which were thatched roofs. Water fountains are found in big number. You have to flight more than hundred stone steps to go upward. A sophisticated irrigation system is found in Machu Pichu. Historians have found water channels and water drains those have been made by perforating the rocks. The Incas provided a road to reach the site. A great number of tourists use this road to reach the great site of Machu Pichu. In 2010 heavy floods washed and destroyed roads and railway. These floods trapped 2000 tourists those were rescued through airlift.
If you are adventurous and like mystery then this is the best place to visit. This site is attracting tourists every year from all over the world. In 2003 the total visitors reached to 400,000. It would be great if you have plan to visit Machu Pichu.