7+Machu+Picchu



**Machu Picchu Lexi C.  ** ** Today, no one except tourists inhabit Machu Picchu. It has been turned into a sanctuary so it would be persevered. The sanctuary is 80,535 acres and was consecrated. **
 *  Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city built on a mountain. The Incan ruler Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui built the city of Machu Picchu, located in Peru, 43 miles northwest of Cuzco the Incan capital. Machu Picchu, when translated into English, means “Old Mountain”. The mountain is 9,060 feet in elevation [[image:machu_picchu.gif width="244" height="320" align="left" caption="Map"]]and near the Andes Mountains. The famous mountain in most pictures of Machu Picchu is Waynapicchu Mountain, which means “Young Mountain”. Located right below the mountain is the Urubamba gorge, which is visible from the mountain. The wonder of Machu Picchu was chosen because it had a cool name and sounded like an interesting place.   **
 *  The construction of Machu Picchu began in about 1438. After being abandoned, it was discovered by Hiram Bingham, who was a descendant of missionaries and a North American historian from Honolulu, Hawaii. Bingham discovered stone structures or houses from the early 1400s. [[image:hiram-bingham-and-tent1.jpg width="225" height="359" align="right" caption="Hiram Bingham"]]On Machu Picchu there are approximately 200 buildings. The houses had thatched roofs and trapezoid doors and sometimes were even two stories in height. The Incas built all of the houses without the use of mortar or cement. They were so tightly packed the thinnest knife blade could not be inserted. Many still wonder how the Incans were capable of building these houses because they were building [[image:young-llama-at-Machu-Picchu.jpg width="190" height="156" align="left" caption="llama "]]with blocks of granite at least two tons each. **
 * Another amazing innovation that was discovered at Machu Picchu was the Intuatana stone. The stone can tell the time of day by the shadow it casts from the sun. Besides the Incas construction capabilities they were also phenomenal farmers. The Incas grew maize and potatoes. They had advanced terracing and irrigation systems that helped reduce erosion and make their land more fertile. [[image:stone_that_tells_time.jpg width="250" height="163" align="right" caption="Intuatana Stone"]] **
 *  In 1527, fifty percent of Machu Picchu’s population was killed by the spread of smallpox brought to them by the Spanish. Afterward, the city was abandoned and was waiting to be rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. **
 * Machu Picchu is an ancient city filled with many wonders and mysteries which makes exciting and a very popular vacation site to go sight seeing.

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