K
*Kate*
Guest
Machu Picchu: Rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham after being lost when the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro destroyed the Inca civilization. To hear more about the rich and interesting details of this historic city read on. In this essay I will talk about the history of the city, how the setting affects the history, and the architecture of the Incas.
Translating to “old peak” in the Quechua language, this city--up 1100 ft up in the Andes Mountains-was reserved as a sort of getaway place for the important people of the Incas. There were probably only around 200-300 people that lived in the city and most of them were high ranked, usually descendents of the founder of Tawantinsuyu A. K. A. the Inca empire. When Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas (mainly by Spanish illnesses) he and his soldiers killed the important people first as hostages and threats. This is how Machu Picchu became lost as it was a secret that was kept among the elite group of the Incas that were killed.
The natural setting is tropical and rainy with harsh winters because of the altitude. It is in the middle of steep mountains and beside it is a deep canyon that contains the Urubamba River. The Urubamba is the same river where the Sacred Valley of the Incas begins, with incredible irrigation systems and the building of terraces for growing crops and building on. But, by Machu Picchu the canyon has formed so deep and the sides so steep that the Incas were only able to build farming terraces.
Most of the buildings in Machu Picchu are made of granite block that were cut with metal or stone tools and smoothed with sand. These stones fit together perfectly so that no mortar was needed but even the thinnest object could not fit through a crack and dislodge anything. Almost all of the buildings were houses although there were things such as temple storage sheds and other public buildings. The houses had thatched roofs and rectangular or square doors; usually without windows. Houses were grouped by tens and had a common “courtyard”. At the center of the city were open squares, barns, or crops. The Incas would grow potatoes and maize using intricate irrigation to water them.
Machu Picchu was a very interesting city of the Inca civilization. Though only the elite stayed there during the Incas empire anyone can go see it today as a major tourist site. Visit Machu Picchu for a breathtaking (literally with the altitude sickness), history rich experience and see how another culture lived long, long ago.
Translating to “old peak” in the Quechua language, this city--up 1100 ft up in the Andes Mountains-was reserved as a sort of getaway place for the important people of the Incas. There were probably only around 200-300 people that lived in the city and most of them were high ranked, usually descendents of the founder of Tawantinsuyu A. K. A. the Inca empire. When Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas (mainly by Spanish illnesses) he and his soldiers killed the important people first as hostages and threats. This is how Machu Picchu became lost as it was a secret that was kept among the elite group of the Incas that were killed.
The natural setting is tropical and rainy with harsh winters because of the altitude. It is in the middle of steep mountains and beside it is a deep canyon that contains the Urubamba River. The Urubamba is the same river where the Sacred Valley of the Incas begins, with incredible irrigation systems and the building of terraces for growing crops and building on. But, by Machu Picchu the canyon has formed so deep and the sides so steep that the Incas were only able to build farming terraces.
Most of the buildings in Machu Picchu are made of granite block that were cut with metal or stone tools and smoothed with sand. These stones fit together perfectly so that no mortar was needed but even the thinnest object could not fit through a crack and dislodge anything. Almost all of the buildings were houses although there were things such as temple storage sheds and other public buildings. The houses had thatched roofs and rectangular or square doors; usually without windows. Houses were grouped by tens and had a common “courtyard”. At the center of the city were open squares, barns, or crops. The Incas would grow potatoes and maize using intricate irrigation to water them.
Machu Picchu was a very interesting city of the Inca civilization. Though only the elite stayed there during the Incas empire anyone can go see it today as a major tourist site. Visit Machu Picchu for a breathtaking (literally with the altitude sickness), history rich experience and see how another culture lived long, long ago.