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Nestled at the top of a high mountain in the eastern Cordillera of South Peru, Machu Picchu is an architectural marvel of the 15th century. Most archaeologists believe that the Citadel Inca was built as a succession for the Emperor Inca Pauhacutec, who reigned from 1438 to 1472. But despite decades of archaeological excavations (yes, Westerners did not start exploring this. Site in 1911!), There are still countless mysteries these old incas ruins. Whether it's a journey to this legendary site is on your bucket list, or you just have a thing for a splendid view, we guarantee these Machu Picchu facts will stick your interest.

1. The name of Machu Picchu is very suitable.

The name of Machu Picchu translates almost to "old peak" or "old mountain" in theOld Quechua. ("Machu", which means "old" and "pichu" which means "peak".) On the other hand, Huayna Picchu, the mountain in the background of Machu Picchu photos of everyone (it's all in the photo ci -Dessous), translates to "young mountain" or "new mountain. »

2. Speaking of Huayna Picchu-he is probably where you will have the best view.

If you stand at the base of Machu Picchu and look, you will notice an even more mountain with another series of ruins. It's Huayna Picchu, the "Young Mountain" was mentioned earlier - and it's the best place to see Machu Picchu for some turns 1,180 feet above. Unfortunately, only 400 people can go hiking Huana Picchu a day. Indeed, its trendy ascent that takes most hikers around two hours. If this ripening climb is on your bucket list, consider buying a ticket about three months in advance. You will need to be 12 years or more, have an authorized guide, and youabsolutely can not Fear of heights.

3. Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu both sit at an altitude below the city of Cusco.

From the latter, we could have thought these two peaks were some of the highest points in Peru. But it is, the Machu Picchu is in fact about 3000 feet lower than the capital of Peru of Cusco. At 7.972 and 11.152 feet above sea level, respectively, at once Machu Picchu and Cusco each require a little acclement at high altitude. This means that if you do not take things slowly, you could be prey to symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and nausea. And that will not make Defintiely for a good holiday history.

4. Historians are still not exactly why Machu Picchu was built.

While most archaologists agree that Machu Picchu was erected as a royal property for the Emperor Inca Pauhacutec, who reigned 1438-1472, there is still room for speculation.Why He did it. A theory is that Machu Picchu was a reduced version of a mythical landscape of the history of Inca creation, or that it was built to honor a sacred landscape (the site is built at the top of a mountain surrounded almost entirely by the Urubamba River, that the Inca called Vilcamayo or Sacred River.), WrittenNational Geographic.

Whatever the site most certainly had utilitarian and spiritual purposes both as a royal citadel and a sacred center. "For the Incas, the two ideas have been integrated," writes Johan Reinhard in his bookMachu Picchu. "Wherever the Emperor lived was sacred, because he was sacred. »

5. Machu Picchu is not really the "lost city of the Incas".

Although Machu Picchu is one of the most emblematic symbols of Civilization Inca, it is not really their "Lost" or last city. This title is better adapted to the city of Vilcabamba, a capital hidden some 30 miles away, where the Incas have found refuge after the Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1532. He ended up falling to the Spaniards in 1572, but by this point, Machu Picchu had already abandoned twenty years.

6. A piece of Machu Picchu was destroyed during the shooting of a beer advertisement.

In 2000, a beer advertisement for Cusqueña Beer, a Peruvian beer, was filmed at Machu Picchu when a crane is collapsed and cracked the intihuatana Stone, one of the most important sanctuaries in the city. "The damage can probably be repaired, but [the intihuatana] will never be quite the same," Archaeologist Luis Murillo BarredaRecountThe Guardian.Of course, the Peruvian government has not been happy with the incident, and historians immediately called for a commercial film ban on the site.

7. More than 60 percent of the construction on Machu Picchu was done underground.

Although the site is known for its terraces and striking stones, more than half of the work that the Incas put in the Machu Picchu were performed behind the scenes. "Inca engineers spent approximately 50%, 60% of their overall effort of underground foundations, site preparation - to ensure that Machu Picchu would last forever," Ken Wright, a civil engineer who has been studying the site since the middle -1990s,Nova said. It's not a surprise, it has resisted the test of time.

8. About one million people visit Machu Picchu year.

Nearly 5,000 people visit Machu Picchu every day during the busy season between May and October, according toUpholstered. Combined with more ridiculous months and more Roussins between October and April, which adds about one million visitors each year.

9. The site has been completely constructed by hand and is totally resistant to earthquakes.

How is this for craftsmanship? When Machu Picchu was constructed, there was (obviously) no machines. It meant that the Incas had to get all the stones in hand and some of these rocks weigh more than 50 tons. But what is even more impressive is that the stones fit in such transparent way do not even require mortar.

Because of this construction, a technique called ashlar, Machu Picchu is fully resistant to earthquakes (and Peru sees about 200 small earthquakes each year). When an earthquake strikes, Jiggle stones but do not fall out of the square. If the Incas had used a more rigid moral technique, these walls would probably not always stand today.

10. There is a lot (and a lot!) Stairs.

If you have already been to Machu Picchu, you know it's a trek to get anywhere, but you may not have realized as many steps how many steps are really. More than 100 distinct staircases include about 3,000 stages. And incredibly, almost each of them was carved with a solid stone slab.

The trail of Aguas Calientes, the city below Machu Picchu, is well marked and easy to follow. You will pass about 30 minutes to go hiking before reaching the mountain stages. Expect an hour of climbing from there. After all, you have about 1,280 feet on a scale! We hope you work on your cardio.

11. He can detect winter and summer solutions

Machu Picchu had some ways to interact with theSun and stars. An example is at the Temple of the Sun, where the Emperor Pauhacuti was considered resident. Every year on the winter solstice, a light light beam passing through a window and forms a perfect rectangle at the top of a granite slab. Another example is in Intimachay, a cave just below the main ruins. Most of the days of the week, the cave is completely dark. But at sunrise during the 10 days before and after the summer solstice, the sun illuminates the back wall of the cave. Recent studies have revealed that these events were not accidents either. The sites have been used as astronomical observatories.

12. Livest floods once forced visitors officials from the ruins.

In January 2010, about 4,000 and local tourists had to be saved by helicopter after being trapped in the Machu Picchu area by Flash Flash, wrote theLocal news. Visitors have been blocked for nearly a week, while helicopters have struggled to fly in the cloudy and mountainous region after the slumps of mud have cut access to the rail line that usually takes visitors in the region. "We are just bored", a blocked tourist who was stuck in a hostel nearbyCNN says. The tourist site was forced to close for nearly three months after the floods so that workers can repair the damage inflicted on the train and roads.

13. You can boot your passport at the entrance.

If you are not Peru, you will have toShow your passportWhen you arrive at the ruins, despite the fact that you have already shown it to enter the country itself. Customers must also enter their passport number to purchase their ticket ticket Machu Picchu, which is required in advance. The passport you show at the door must match the one you bought your ticket.

And although this is not necessary for you to get an official stamp of Machu Picchu on your passport, it is possible to do it. From 8:00 to 5 hours barely, a small office is open just after the entrance where customers can be stamped. Even if it's not necessary, it's definitely a great way to commemorate this once in an adventure for life.

14. Machu Picchu was "discovered" in 1911.

Despite the number of times you have probably seen friends on trips to Machu Picchu onyour instagram feed, Machu Picchu was not always the tourist destination she is today. In fact, it has only been opened to the public since 1981. It was 70 years after the American historian and Hiram Bingham Explorer who went to the area and was focused on the site of a Villageois in 1911. Bingham organized another shipping in 1912 to erase and excavate the site. It took a few decades for the parts of the Picchu Machu to be restored (and the restoration continues today). Finally, the Machu Picchu has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. In the next step, you will want to increase your feeling of even more fear with these 30 amazing facts guaranteed to give you a sense of wonder in the form of a child .