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Machu Picchu - Peru

Machu Picchu, sometimes called the "Lost City of the Incas", is a pre-Columbian city created by the Inca. It is located at 2,430 m on a mountain ridge. Machu Picchu is located above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, about 70 km northwest of Cusco.

Forgotten for centuries by the outside world, although not by locals, it was brought back to international attention by archaeologist Hiram Bingham who rediscovered it in 1911, and wrote a best-selling work about it. Peru is pursuing legal efforts to retrieve thousands of artifacts that Bingham removed from the site.


Machu Picchu was constructed around 1450, at the height of the Inca empire, and was abandoned less than 100 years later, as the empire collapsed under Spanish conquest.

According to the archaeologists, the urban sector of Machu Picchu was divided into three great districts: the Sacred District, the Popular District, to the south, and the District of the Priests and the Nobility (royalty zone). The mystery of Machu Picchu may never be fully explained as, so far, there are only theories. For some, it may have been an advance settlement for planned further expansions by the Incas. Others believe Machu Picchu was a monastery where young girls (acllas) were trained to serve the Inca and the Willac Uno (High Priest). Support for this theory comes from the fact that of the 135 bodies discovered while exploring the site, 109 were female.

Machu Picchu is featured in many video and computer games, including Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, Illusion of Gaia, Shadow Hearts: From the New World, Ripley's Believe It or Not: The Riddle of Master Lu, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King and Skies of Arcadia Legends.

Llamas roam freely over the entire site. They keep the grass tidy and are capable of reaching many spots inaccessible by lawnmowers or sheep.