Machu Picchu is one of the most famous lost ancient cities in the world, or at least it was until it was discovered just over a century ago. This lost city of the Ancient Inca peoples is situated atop a tall mountain and hidden in the clouds which is why it remained lost until 1911 when American Historian Hiram Bingham brought it to the world’s attention. Many people in Peru knew of its existence but in 1911 global communication was not as advanced as it is today and so the outside world knew little, if anything, of the Ancient city in the clouds. Now it is a popular tourist destination and some three quarters of the site has now been restored in order to better please tourists though it must be kept in as much of a state of ruin so as to look historic whilst also remaining safe as old buildings have a habit of collapsing! The city is now a world heritage site and was voted as one of the new seven wonders of the world in 2007, so it’s come a long way considering it was still ‘lost’ to most of the world just over 100 years ago!
One of the most amazing things about this ancient city is that it is entirely self-sufficient, hence they were able to survive on a mountain up in the clouds. The land is very fertile and a stream provides as much water as necessary. Also, although the mountain is high, it is not so high as to greatly restrict breathing so it actually isn’t a bad place to live if you don’t mind a tribal lifestyle without electricity, which most of us probably do actually mind, but it worked well for the Incas! They abandoned it around 1550 during the Spanish Conquest of the Inca peoples and never returned to this home in the clouds. Although Machu Picchu is less than 50 miles from Cusco, the Inca Capital, the Spanish invaders luckily never found it and so unlike all the other Inca settlements that were defaced and burnt down, Machu Picchu stands as a relic to history and the Inca civilization.
Since its discovery scholars have begun to argue what the purpose of Machu Picchu might have been though of course we cannot be certain. The most popular theory is that this city in the clouds was built as a royal retreat for Inca Emperor Pachacuti to hunt, relax and impress guests. This would certainly make sense as it cannot be seen from the ground so would have been a safe royal retreat and provided breath-taking views of the Emperor’s lands. However other theories have included it being the last Inca City to fight the Spanish (though this has since been proven false as the Spanish won and never discovered Machu Picchu), a holy site dedicated to the Sun God or even a site erected in honour of the sacred landscape surrounding it which was very fertile and allowed the Incas to flourish. Whatever you believe the purpose of the lost city was, it is a stunning historical site and relic of a lost civilization.
IMAGE: http://www.peru-machu-picchu.com/pics/machu-picchu-1.jpg - Machu Picchu today.
0 Comment:
Be the first one to comment on this article.