Machu Pichu Peru

Machu Pichu Peru
La Ciudad Perdida de los Incas

Do you want a piece of real Hispanic culture? Travel to The Lost City of the Inca. What is this archeological site? It is one of the new seven wonders of the world, and one of the ancient Inca cities that promises one of the best trips of your life. As a cultural experience these Incan ruins are an example of what native South American engineering and design was.

Why is Machu Pichu Peru misspelled in this page? Because many Latin travel lovers use this search term when they want to find results for Machu Picchu. Don't let it bother you, this page is filled with useful information written just for you to enjoy!

Traveling through The Lost City of the Inca is like rediscovering the pure essence that existed before Spaniards arrived in America. This city survived the Spanish onslaught against the Inca Empire because Spaniards never found it. It is beautifully constructed in the typical Inca style using polished dry-stone walls of regular shape.

Where is Located and When to Go

The Lost City of the Inca is located in the south western chain of mountains called the Andes, in the Urubamba Valley. The town of Machu Picchu is connected to the city of Cusco by a railway system. The total trip takes about three hours and covers a distance of 110 kilometers.

The best time to travel to Machu Pichu Peru is during the dry months from October to April. If traveling with children, I recommend you to take children older than 10 years. Prepare them for long walks, explain in advance the conditions, since it is a bit rough and requires good amount of walking. There are steep drops, areas off limits, and sometimes slippery conditions.

What Was the Purpose of The Lost City of the Inca?

There are many hypothesis explaining what this archeological site is, but there is no conclusive evidence to prove any of them.

Different theories say it was a special retreat for the royalty of Cuzco, a settlement built to control the economy of these conquered regions. a secret ceremonial city, or even the estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti.

Hitching Post of the Sun

Others say it was an observatory because of the presence of the Hitching Point of the Sun, a set of stones in the citadel that point directly at the sun during the winter solstice.

Picture by Jordan Klein

Facts About Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu means old peak in Quechua, an ancient Native American language of South America.

The city is located 8,000 ft above sea level in the mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru.

This ancient Inca city is about five square miles, not visible from below, and it is completely self-contained.

One of the most interesting facts about Machu Pichu is that it was build around 1460 AD and a hundred years later the Incas abandoned it.

In spite of many years of scientific research and unearthing of the site, nobody has been able to produce enough evidence to exactly pinpoint the purpose of Machu Pichu.

Hiram Bingham is credited with rediscovering Machu Picchu in 1911, but the names of Enrique Palma, Gabino S�nchez, and Agust�n Liz�rraga are engraved in one of the Machu Picchu rocks with the date July 14, 1901.

In 1983 the UNESCO declared Machu Pichu a World Heritage Site.

The preservation of Machu Pichu Peru faces big challenges. Little regulation by Peruvian government, a rapid increase in tourism, and environmental and conservation issues make it one of the most endangered ruins in the world.

In 2007 Yale University agreed to return a large group of artifacts that were excavated at Machu Picchu in 1912, according to The New York Times article "Yale Officials Agree to Return Peruvian Artifacts" by Randy Kennedy published in September 17, 2007.