A guide to sacred sites

MACHU PICCHU

Machu Picchu, meaning “old peak” is an ancient Incan city located high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, on top of a ridge. It consists of over 200 separate buildings, mostly residences but also temples, storage structures and other public buildings, all built in the characteristic Incan architectural style of polygonal masonry, where stones blocks were cut and fit together almost flawlessly without the use of mortar. The blocks fit together so perfectly that even the blade of a knife is unable to be fit between them. Also unique, is the integration of the landscape into the architecture; existing stone formations were used in the construction of structures, sculptures were carved into the rock, water flows through cisterns and stone channels, and temples hang on steep precipices. Much of this amazing city still exists today, more than 500 years after it’s completion, and as such has been added to the new compilation of the Seven Wonders of the World.

It is believed that around 1200 people, mostly women and children, lived in Machu Picchu. Around 1527, the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the area, destroying many other Incan cities but were never to find Machu Picchu. However, they bought with them Small Pox, which spread to the city and killed at least 50% of the population. As a result, the Incas fell into Civil War and by 1532, Machu Picchu was already all but forgotten.

In 1911, a professor from Yale, Hiram Bingham, rediscovered Machu Picchu with the help of some local guides and bought the ancient city to the attention of the world. It must also be noted, that he also removed from the site hundreds of valuable artefacts, many of which still reside in England despite pleadings from the governments of Peru to have them returned.

Just why Machu Picchu was constructed in the first place is subject to many theories. Some hypothesise that it was and “Ilacta”, a settlement built to control the economy of other conquered Incan regions. Others assert that it may have been built as a prison for those who had committed heinous crimes against Incan society. Still others believe, it was built purely for the purpose of a defensive retreat against invaders.

Most widely believed, however, is that Machu Picchu was an estate built for the Inca emperor, Pachacuti, it’s position selected for its relation to sacred landscape features, such as its mountains, which are in alignment with key astronomical events important to the Incas. Most important is the Intihuatana