Machu Picchu, a heart of Peru. A beautiful land of houses, sanctuaries and temples. A vast land full of history and scenic beauty.
PERU – One of the famous and alluring monuments in Peru is Machu Picchu. Host of more than 700,000 tourist every year. The enigma of its origin and purpose is still unknown. Built in 1520 and discovered in 1911 by one of Yale’s Professor, it has a peculiar style of construction. It is under UNESCO World Heritage from 1983, also voted as one of Seven Wonders of World in 2007. It is also providing revenue to Peru for years.
Special type of stones used here. Known as The Dry Stones. It is still a conundrum that how a city can establish on that height. It situated 7000 meters from sea level. Probably the largest ancient city of the world. It covers around 80,000 acres of land.
In Quechua Indian Language Machu Picchu translated as “Old Peak” or “Old Mountain.” It has one of the most difficult mode of construction. No wheels used in its construction. Masons made sure to reach big heavy stones up to hill by hand. Also one theory says that Machu Picchu was ruled by Incan Empire. Moreover, they invented a mode of assembly known as Ashlar. Besides its a technique where stones that are cut to fit together without mortar. So well attached that no blade or sharp object can go through them.
There are three main tourist attractions in Machu Picchu.
- Temple of the Sun or Torreon
2. Intihuatana stone
3. Inti Mach’ay and the Royal Feast of the Sun
Also See: Mohenjo Daro: Contemporary mode of living and headscratcher for archeologists
Temple of the Sun or Torreon
A semicircle temple could be find here. It has a theory that Machu Picchu served as a royal or defense point of country at that time. So this temple is aligned with sun, windows and rock. It also has an Altar where all the religious activities were used to be performed. More importantly this temple used to calculate time and relativity, one of the favorite spot of tourist here.
Intihuatana Stone
Its a unique spot in Machu Picchu. Intihuatana Stones stands for “Tie up the Sun” or in more elaborating way “The Hitching Post of the Sun”. It is clearly a scientific point of that point. Two times in year comes when sun casts the light over this stone leaving no shadow. They used this point to calculate dates and calendar.
Inti Mach’ay and the Royal Feast of the Sun
It is more like a huge cave with walls, windows and strong built. Inti Mach’ay is basically a festival celebrated in Quechua Religion. They celebrate dawn till dusk and enjoy the sunset from here. The construction style is attractive and unique but now tourists cannot visit Inti Mach’ay because it is fragile in condition.
Trekking Of Machu Picchu
Its a 4 day trek to reach Machu Picchu. It is described as one of the most beautiful trekking in the world. You can have a roller coaster of emotions – from breathtaking to surprise to appealed. If you want to see this beauty the ideal time is July to September.
July is the busiest time for its hike. Government also limits the number of tourist in order to make this point less crowdy. Only 200 tourists along with guides and porters are allowed to see this beauty at one time. So better book your tickets way before you anticipate.
