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- 27.10.2021 klo 11.05
- ⛅ 64 °F
- Korkeus: 8 186 ft
- PeruCuscoMachupicchuMachu PicchuMontaña Machu Picchu13°9’56” S 72°32’42” W
Machu Picchu!
27. lokakuuta 2021, Peru ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
The Incans arrived in the Machu Picchu area around 1450, and under Emperor Pachacutec (remember the city builder?), they set to work constructing the city and temples and improving the existing farming terraces. Machu Picchu was still under construction when the Spanish arrived to conquer the Incan empire in the mid 1500s. Before the Spanish could find and destroy Machu Picchu, the Incans abandoned the city and destroyed the trails leading to it. Locals continued to farm the lower terraces, but the bulk of Machu Picchu became overgrown and lost to the outside world.
It wasn’t until 1911 when Hiram Bingham came to the area looking for another lost city, that Machu Picchu’s existence became known to the outside world.
Only a few structures have been restored to show as examples to visitors, but most have just been cleared of jungle overgrowth. It’s a testament to the skillful construction abilities of the Incas that so much of the structures are still relatively intact. Our very informative guide explained how the Incas built “hanging” steps to connect the farming terraces so they wouldn’t take up any arable land for growing crops (see our photo).
It was so fun to see the llamas that the Park Service maintains in Machu Picchu. They graze the farming terraces, preventing them from becoming overgrown.
On a more recent note, floods and a mudslide in 2010 washed out roads and sections of a railway, stranding 3,500 tourists at Machu Picchu. It took 4 days to evacuate them by helicopter. In the village adjacent to Machu Picchu, where most tourists stay, the ATMs were emptied out as tourists sought to adapt to a stay that was longer than the one-night excursion they’d planned.
By the way, the weather on this trip has been fantastic so far. Yes, the Amazon was uncomfortably humid near the end, but we’ve really only had rain at night or while driving. Considering that Machu Picchu is a “mountain rainforest,” we’ve really lucked out.Lue lisää
Nance and Sande Wow, your pictures are amazing! Looking forward to hearing stories from your trip.