We’ve all heard of the Seven Wonders of the World that includes Stonehenge, the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China and the Leaning Tower of Pisa among others. Back in 2001, a new list was compiled that includes the Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. This ancient settlement was of great religious significance to the Incas as it was built in between a number of mountains they held sacred.
Machu Picchu – Photo courtesy of wanderlasss
Built in 1450, this city of ruins in Peru was remained unknown to the world until Yale professor, Hiram Bingham, discovered them with the help of a local child back in 1911. This city was also unknown to the Spanish during their conquest so all the artifacts remained undisturbed by plunderers.
This magnificent city was built in two sections (urban and agricultural) that are divided with a wall. Construction of the building themselves is something to behold as they are built with stone but no mortar! This was to make houses sturdier for earthquakes as stones could move slightly before settling back into place where mortar would just crack. The Incas were also evolved in many other ways they constructed water fountains that were connected with an irrigation system that was also designed to bring water to each house individually from the holy spring. The city also features temples, sanctuaries, parks and residences.
In the urban section of the city there are three main districts: the religious district, the popular or residential district and the noble district. In the religious district there are numerous building dedicated to the sun god, Inti, their main deity. The popular district includes a number of simple houses with thatched roofs while the noble district can be characterized by it red tinted walls and trapezoid shaped rooms.
This area has become a popular tourist destination that has resulted in the building of a cable car, a luxury hotel as well as boutiques and restaurants. The government has restricted the number of people that can access the city in a day in order to preserve the ruins so plan your vacation to this bucket list destination before access becomes restricted all together!