The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is Peru’s most famous tourist attraction and a place that’s on every traveler’s bucket list. You’ve seen the pictures, but how much do you really know about this interesting ancient city? Brush up on your knowledge and learn some history with these 12 fascinating Machu Picchu facts:
1. It was “lost” for centuries.
After its abandonment by the Incas, Machu Picchu was unknown to outsiders until a young boy named Pablito from a nearby community led the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham there in 1911. It was Bingham’s publication of photos from Machu Picchu along with its subsequent excavation which brought public awareness to the site.
2. It was never discovered by the Spanish conquistadors.
One of the reasons that Machu Picchu has remained in such great condition is that its existence was unknown to the invading Spanish, thus sparing the site from the destruction suffered by many other Incan cities.
3. Machu Picchu is not its original name.
The name Machu Picchu, which means “Old Mountain” in Quechua, was chosen after the site’s “rediscovery” in 1911. The site’s original name as it was known to the Incas remains obscure, though researchers do have some ideas. The Spanish historian Mari Carmen Martin Rubio has theorized based on the study of ancient texts that the site’s original name was Patallaqta, which translates to “stepped city.”
4. It’s one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
A worldwide internet poll was held in 2007 which officially named Machu Picchu as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. In addition, Machu Picchu has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
5. There are several ways to get there.
Most people have heard of the Inca Trail, but there are actually multiple different Machu Picchu trekking routes that lead to this Lost City of the Incas. Those who would prefer not to do any hiking can also take a train to the nearby town of Aguas Calientes and from there a bus will take you to the summit.
6. The stones are perfectly cut.
Machu Picchu was built using a technique known as “ashlar,” in which stones are cut to fit perfectly together without using mortar. The cracks between the stones are so fine that you cannot even fit a piece of paper in between them.
7. It’s practically up in the clouds.
Though many nearby sites including the city of Cusco are located much higher, Machu Picchu’s altitude of nearly 8,000 feet is still dizzyingly high if you live somewhere closer to sea level.
8. It’s a movie star.
Machu Picchu was an important filming location for the 1954 film Secret of the Incas starring Charlton Heston, which is considered the inspiration for the later Indiana Jones franchise of films. It also made an appearance in the Che Guevara biopic The Motorcycle Diaries as well as a handful of other films over the years.
9. It was built without the wheel.
Despite the fact that many of the stones weigh more than 50 tons, the Incas did not make use of the wheel in building Machu Picchu. To get these giant stones in place, they were either chiseled out of the mountain bedrock or were pulled up the mountainside by teams of workers–an astounding feat.
10. It acted as an astronomical observatory.
Close observance of the sky was extremely important to the Inca worldview and their constructions always took this into account. Many of Machu Picchu’s structures were specially aligned with astronomical bodies. The stone known as the Intihuatana was constructed to serve as a solar clock, while the Temple of the Sun is believed to have been built as a solar observatory and ritual center.
11. It’s earthquake-proof.
Like the rest of the earthquake-prone area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, Peru experiences its fair share of earthquakes. Close-up study by archaeologists has revealed that the builders of Machu Picchu used a special method of placing stones designed to help it withstand the frequent tremors which plague the region.
12. Nobody knows why it was abandoned.
Though historians have speculated about many possible reasons, nobody knows for certain why the Incas abandoned Machu Picchu. One convincing theory holds that it was abandoned after a smallpox outbreak as the remnants of the Inca Empire fled from the Spanish conquistadors, but this explanation is still far from certain.
Now that you’ve learned a little bit about the magical Lost City of the Incas known as Machu Picchu, you’ll have a totally different perspective when finally visit this amazing place. Start planning your once-in-a-lifetime trip today!
Header Image: Modified from Flickr / Dan Doan
1st Blog Image: Modified from Flickr / Nathan C Wade
2nd Blog Image: Modified from Flickr / Machu picchu Pisa Pisa
3rd Blog Image: Modified from Flickr / BORIS G
