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Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru


Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above the sea level in Machupicchu District,Peru. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.



Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru



Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru

Standing 2,430 m above sea level, in the midst of a tropical mountain forest in an extraordinarily beautiful setting, Machu Picchu 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.


Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru



Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru



Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru



Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru

Machu Picchu was built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire.The construction of Machu Picchu appears to date from the period of the two great Incas, Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438-71) and Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1472-93).It was abandoned just over 100 years later, in 1572.


Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru



Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru

Machu Picchu covers 32,500 ha in some of the scenically most attractive mountainous territory of the Peruvian Andes. As the last stronghold of the Incas and of superb architectural and archaeological importance, Machu Picchu is one of the most important cultural sites in Latin America; the stonework of the site remains as one of the world's great examples of the use of a natural raw material to provide outstanding architecture which is totally appropriate to the surroundings.

The surrounding valleys have been cultivated continuously for well over 1,000 years, providing one of the world's greatest examples of a productive man-land relationship.


Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru


View of the city of Machu Picchu in 1911 showing the original ruins before modern reconstruction work began.

Machu Picchu - The Ancient City Of The Inca Empire, Peru