Machu Picchu (meaning Old City in Incan) is arguably the most amazing site in Peru, if not in South America. So much so, it’s even got archaeologists arguing about its original purpose. Some say this 15th century Incan city was built as a secret ceremonial center. Though it’s debated whether this was in honor of the sacred Andean landscape or the Incan Sun god, Inti. Others have more cynically suggested that it served as a prison. But by far the most popular theory is that Machu Picchu was built by an Incan Emperor named Pachacuti (considered a Peruvian hero) to celebrate the defeat of a rival tribe called the Chancas.
So what’s so magical about Machu Picchu? Well, not only is it located high up in the Andes, but it’s completely invisible from below. And its inhabitants got all the food and resources they needed in this remote location. Machu Picchu was such a secret that even the Spanish Conquistadors didn’t find it when they came over to South America in the 1400s.
Even more impressive is that not a drop of mortar was used to cement the walls of the city’s 140 buildings containing temples, bathhouses, homes and sanctuaries. Instead, clever Incans cut blocks of stone so precisely that when fitted together you’d be hard pressed to get even a knife in the join.
Sadly, Machu Picchu was abandoned a mere 100 years after it was built. (And it’s probably because the city’s inhabitants contracted nasty diseases, such as small pox, carried over to Peru by Spanish Conquistadors.) But don’t worry because not all is lost in the Lost City of the Incas. Thanks to a dedicated team of restorers you’ll be able to capture some of the wonder of Machu Picchu today as it was back in its full glory.