Search results
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a 2,430-meter (7,970 ft) mountain ridge. [2] [3] Often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of the Inca Empire.
- Hiram Bingham III
Hiram Bingham III (November 19, 1875 – June 6, 1956) was an...
- Dry-Stone Walls
In Peru in the 15th century AD, the Inca made use of...
- Machupicchu District
Machupicchu (from Quechua Machu Pikchu, "old peak") is one...
- Cusco Region
Political division of the Cusco Region. Cusco, also spelled...
- Cordillera Oriental
Map of Peru and its codilleras. The Cordillera Oriental...
- Urubamba River
The Urubamba River near Urcos. The Urubamba River or...
- Main Page
The Beulé Gate is a fortified gate leading to the Propylaia...
- Hiram Bingham III
Peru. Region. Latin America and the Caribbean. Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site in Peru, in South America . The Incas built the city on a mountain ridge, 2430m above sea level. They lived there between 1200 and 1450 AD. Other people lived there before about 650 AD.
- Purpose
- Materials & Layout
- Architecture
Machu Picchu (meaning 'old hill') was an imperial estate founded by and belonging to Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the Inca ruler, in the mid-15th century CE. The ownership of the site was later passed to Pachacuti's successors. On its rediscovery by the explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911 CE (although local residents in the valley had always known of the si...
Machu Picchu is a fine example of the Inca practice of shaping architecture around the natural terrain. Ridges were made into plateaus for building upon and slopes were terraced using stone bulwarks. Further, constructions were made to aesthetically blend with their surroundings. For example, the profile of the Sacred Rock actually mimics one of th...
Amongst the most impressive structures at the site both for its size and unusual curved masonry is the D-shaped tower known as the Torréon, mentioned above. The single window of the tower was aligned with the Pleiades stars as they appeared in the 15th century CE and the building's astronomical purpose is further evidenced by the presence of a ston...
- Mark Cartwright
May 16, 2024 · Machu Picchu, site of ancient Inca ruins located about 50 miles from Cuzco, Peru, in the Cordillera de Vilcabamba of the Andes Mountains. One of the few major pre-Columbian ruins found nearly intact, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. Learn more about Machu Picchu.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Machu Picchu facts. 1 In the Quechua Indian language, “Machu Picchu” means “Old Peak” or “Old Mountain.”. 2 Machu Picchu is made up of more than 150 buildings ranging from baths and houses to temples and sanctuaries. 3 The compound contains more than 100 separate flights of stairs.
A royal estate. Machu Picchu is often described as “mysterious,” but in fact a great deal is known about its construction and purpose. It was built as a royal estate for the first Inka emperor, Pachacuti Inka Yupanqui, in the middle of the 15th century, on a mountain saddle overlooking the Urubamba River (in modern day Peru).
Machu Picchu is an Inca royal estate constructed in the mid-15th century in Peru’s picturesque high jungle. As a seasonal retreat for celebrations, religious rituals, and administrative affairs when the Incas traveled beyond Cuzco, Machu Picchu was abandoned soon after Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Andes in 1531.
