Historical Place Machu Picchu
Hi Everyone,
Here some exclusive information about Machu Picchu .
Machu Picchu stands 2,430 m above sea-level, in the middle of a tropical
mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was
probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its
height; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been
cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting,
on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin
with its rich diversity of flora and fauna. The complex of palaces and plazas,
temples and homes may have been built as a ceremonial site, a military
stronghold, or a retreat for ruling elites—its dramatic location is
certainly well suited for any of those purposes. The ruins lie on a high
ridge, surrounded on three sides by the windy, turbulent Urubamba River
some 2,000 feet (610 meters) below.
Scholars
are still striving to uncover clues to the mysteries hidden here high
in the eastern slopes of the Andes, covered with tropical forests of the
upper Amazon Basin. Machu Picchu appears to lie at the center of a
network of related sites and trails—and many landmarks both man-made and
mountainous appear to align with astronomical events like the solstice
sunset. The Inca had no written language, so they left no record of why
they built the site or how they used it before it was abandoned in the
early 16th century.
Landscape
engineering skills are in strong evidence at Machu Picchu. The site’s
buildings, walls, terraces, and ramps reclaim the steep mountainous
terrain and make the city blend naturally into the rock escarpments on
which it is situated. The 700-plus terraces preserved soil, promoted
agriculture, and served as part of an extensive water-distribution
system that conserved water and limited erosion on the steep slopes.
The
Inca’s achievements and skills are all the more impressive in light of
the knowledge they lacked. When Machu Picchu was built some 500 years
ago the Inca had no iron, no steel, and no wheels. Their tremendous
effort apparently benefited relatively few people—some experts maintain
that fewer than a thousand individuals lived here.Embedded within a dramatic landscape at the meeting point between the
Peruvian Andes and the Amazon Basin, the Historic Sanctuary of Machu
Picchu is among the greatest artistic, architectural and land use
achievements anywhere and the most significant tangible legacy of the
Inca civilization.
Recognized for outstanding cultural and natural
values, the mixed World Heritage property covers 32,592 hectares of
mountain slopes, peaks and valleys surrounding its heart, the
spectacular archaeological monument of “La Ciudadela” (the
Citadel) at more than 2,400 meters above sea level. Built in the
fifteenth century Machu Picchu was abandoned when the Inca Empire was
conquered by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century. It was not until
1911 that the archaeological complex was made known to the outside
world.
0 comments:
Post a Comment