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Although it may have been discovered by previous explorers, the young Yale lecturer introduced the world to an ancient archaeological masterpiece--for better and worse
July 22, 2011 | 6
Located in southeastern Peru 3,300 meters above sea level, Cusco served as the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th century to 1532, just prior to the Spanish invasion....[More]
Sacsayhuamán is a walled complex outside Cusco built on a steep hill overlooking the city. The site includes a large white statue of Christ, a remnant of the Spanish conquistadors....[More]
Ollantaytambo is an Inca archaeological site about 60 kilometers from Cusco. The Inca agricultural terraces create small tiers of fertile land on very steep slopes....[More]
Inside a home in Ollantaytambo a family has created a shrine that includes the skulls of some of their ancestors.
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The Inca Trail winds through the Andes connecting Cusco to Machu Picchu. Much of the trail is paved with large stones.
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This crossing through the Andes along the Inca Trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu is perched about 4,200 meters above sea level. Called Warmiwañusq'a pass , or "Pass of the Dead Woman," it is the highest pass in the Inca Trail....[More]
Runkuraqay was a "tambo" —Incan structure built for administrative and military purposes along the Inca Trail....[More]
The Inca Trail includes several steep stone stairways dug into the mountainsides.
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Bingham also discovered a massive stone staircase and ruins at Phuyupatamarca —meaning "the town in the clouds"—high along the Inca Trail....[More]
The Inca Trail ends at the Sun Gate, or " Intipunku ," on Machu Picchu Mountain. Straight ahead lie the main ruins of the site. Those not accessing Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail can take a bus along the winding road below....[More]
A century ago Bingham rediscovered the ancient ruins of the Machu Picchu Inca sanctuary. The site consists of about 140 buildings made of heavy granite....[More]
Machu Picchu, sometimes called "The Lost City of the Incas," was build around1450 and was mysteriously abandoned less than 100 years later....[More]
Machu Picchu is located at an elevation of about 2,450 meters on the edge of the Amazon Rain Forest and the Andes Mountains. The Incas used terraces such as those seen here to increase the land available for farming....[More]
Given the Incas had no written language, the true purpose of Machu Picchu remains open to debate, with some calling it a government retreat and others convinced that it was a defensive citadel.
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Despite its location high in the mountains and dozens of kilometers from the nearest settlement, Machu Picchu's structures were made using large blocks of stone cut to fit together tightly without the need for mortar ....[More]
An estimated 5,000 people built the farming terraces, temples and other structures at Machu Picchu . In addition to being a major tourist attraction, the site is also home to a large number of alpacas and llamas that roam the grounds....[More]
The Incas built Machu Picchu on a ridge high above the Urubamba River, which provided them with an extensive view of the valley below . Bingham and his fellow explorers are said to have climbed this ridge to reach the ancient ruins....[More]
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6 Comments
Add CommentI found the article very interesting and remembered my trip to Macchu Picchu with fondness...thank you Larry. Unfortunately I was unable to acess the slide show for some reason.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSame for me. The scenic train ride up the valley. The scary bus ride up the mountain (I walked down). The views of the terraced mountainsides. I remember the coca tea at the hotel and being told that the only buildings in Cusco that have survived all the earthquakes were built on Inca foundations. I remember a very scary ride in a taxi from Cusco to the regional market, where I traded my cheap digital watch for an alpaca blanket that I still have
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis was the mid-70's and I also recall armed military on every street corner in central Lima.
Great memories. Cheers.
The slide show doesn't play for me. The page is so full of advert scripts, I am not surprised.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI had no problem with the slide show.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI was very disappointed in the out-dated commentary that accompanied the slide show. Recent research, as publicized in the 2010 Nova documentary "Ghosts of Machu Picchu", makes a very strong case that the site was selected for ceremonial purposes. Machu Picchu is located at a point where the four most sacred mountains of the Inca religion lie directly to the north, south, east and west. In addition, at the southern winter solstice--the most sacred day of the Inca calendar which is celebrated by the festival of Inti Raymi--the sun shines through a small window to illuminate the main altar, and rises directly over the upright piece of the altar stone. Given that the location was an extraordinarily difficult place to build, even by Inca standards, the older, prosaic explanations like "government retreat" or summer resort for the Inca royalty, seem hopelessly inadequate.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would not call the comments outdated, although I would agree in-principle with the comments on the significance of the site to the Inca.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFrom cultural standpoint, we today have little in common with the 14th century Inca. No one today can put this site into a proper cultural perspective, we can only surmise or guess.
If we draw on what we have learned about other pre-Columbian sites, it is very likely we will eventually discover that MP pre-dates what we initially believed. Underneath what we see and have found, there is probably evidence of earlier cultures, and for a site of this importance, probably Chavin or earlier.
Further, historically we have always initially under- estimated the religious, astronomical, and geographical, and mathematical significance of pre-Columbian sites. Undoubtedly, that is the case here with MP. Generations from now, we will still be discovering new aspects and new facts of great significance.
Let's enjoy and marvel at what we think we know now, with the realization there is yet much to be discovered and understood about MP, and all pre-Columbian sites.