Old Mountain or Machu Picchu, it is said that its original name was Llaqtapata. It is located in the region of Cusco in the district of the province of Urubamba, within the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
According to the investigations, this site would have been a resting place for the Inca Pachacutec.
However, some of its buildings and the clear ceremonial use of the main access road to Llaqta explain its origin before Pachacutec and its use as a religious sanctuary. In addition, its use of military character is still discussed, so that the popular qualifiers of “fortress” or “citadel” could have been overcome.
A masterpiece, Machu Picchu is much more than a simple construction. Complex with more than 150 buildings, as it has shrines and temples. This is organized through 3 structures: Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Three Windows. And other secondary buildings are actually replicas that were installed to give visitors a better idea of how Machu Picchu would originally have been.
Machu Picchu, is located 2,430 meters above sea level. Those who wish to visit the historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu should be aware of what awaits them. The circuit is for those who have the heart of gold and guts because the road demands an optimal physical condition and not only that but be prepared for the famous altitude sickness. The most advisable thing is that visitors can spend a few days in the city of Cusco for a correct acclimatization accompanied by a coca tea to alleviate the sickness of the soroche.
It is incredible that Machu Picchu is located on the side of a cliff, which the Incas kept in such a complicated location demonstrates the extensive knowledge of engineering that the Incas possessed. Even the construction of more than 600 terraces to ensure that the structures cannot slide down the mountain and ensure the correct distribution of water, the Incas designed a canal with complex irrigation systems for agricultural land that fed the population. These systems were so well built that they would still work after some minor repairs.
The constructions inside the sanctuary are impressive, it is believed that the granite stones used for the construction were pushed to the side of the mountain, since during that time there was no means of transport with wheels. All the pieces fit perfectly as if it were a puzzle.
The language spoken by the Incas was Quechua and today many populations still root this language. The name would mean Machu = Old and Pikchu = Pyramid or cone. What many interpret Machu Picchu in Spanish is “Montaña Vieja”.
According to beliefs and history it is said that Machu Picchu was a real property for the Inca Pachacutec. This ordinance could be given after some military victory; the Inca would have used the historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu as a center to vacation with his family in a house located next to the temple of the sun that has a garden, a tub, and the only private bathroom of the complex.
When the Spaniards arrived and conquered the Inca empire, they destroyed all the majority of cities but everything indicates that they did not reach Machu Picchu, since Picchu is only mentioned once in Spanish documents and it is believed that it only refers to that belonged to the Inca Empire. Today it is not clear why the Incas abandoned Machu Picchu, although there are theories according to which a smallpox outbreak killed most of its inhabitants before the arrival of the Spaniards. This allowed the site to remain intact until 1911, when Professor Hiram Bingham III of Yale University found Machu Picchu covered in thick vegetation.
Source: Andina
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