Fascinating Machu Picchu Facts
Did you know that Machu Picchu receives more than half a million visitors per year? This equates to more than 2,500 people per day!
Whether you’ve had the opportunity to climb Macchu Picchu yourself, or you’ve just seen it in pictures, you probably understand why so many people flock to this majestic World Wonder.
But, even if you’ve traveled here, there’s probably still a lot about the area that you don’t know.
Check out this guide to learn about the top fascinating Machu Picchu facts.
1. It “Disappeared” for Centuries
Macchu Picchu is an ancient Incan site that was built midway through the 1400s. However, the outside world didn’t know about it until 1911.
In fact, the site was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham, a Yale archeology professor.
Bingham was taking an expedition through the Andes in order to discover the lost Incan cities of Vilcabamba and Vitcos. One day, Bingham met a local farmer who told him that there were ancient ruins near a site that the locals called “Macchu Picchu” (which translates to ‘old peak’).
Soon after, Bingham, the local farmer, and a police officer trekked to find Macchu Picchu, with a local boy leading them to the site the last part of the way.
Once Bingham returned with the news, National Geographic gave him funding to lead excavations on the site, and the rest was history.
2. No One Knows Why It Was Abandoned
To this day, we still don’t know why the Incas abandoned this site. The Incas didn’t keep any written records, which leaves their reason for departing the site a complete mystery.
It was abandoned around the time of the Spanish invasion, however, when the Spanish conquered the Incan Empire in the 1500s, they never actually found Macchu Picchu.
Most scientists believe that the site was abandoned due to a smallpox outbreak.
3. Its Construction is Completely Amazing
If you’ve done the Machu Picchu hike, then you probably spent some time at the top, juts gazing in awe at this site that is unlike anything else in the world.
Well, there’s a reason why Macchu Picchu is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
The Incas were actually excellent engineers. The granite rocks used to construct the site were extremely heavy – some weighing more than 55 tons! Scientists believe that either hundred of men pushed the stones up the mountain with their bare hands, or that the stones were chiseled from the side of the mountain itself.
The stones on Macchu Picchu are fit together so well that not even a knife blade would fit in between them.
Perhaps most impressive is that the area consists of 600 terraces that prevented the city from sliding down.
4. Part of the Structure Serves as a Clock
Macchu Picchu has three main structures that archeologists have been able to identify.
These are the Intihuatana, the Three Widows, and the Temple of the Sun. The Intihuatana is a stone that the Incas created either to be used as an astronomical clock or a calendar.
Machu Picchu Facts: Are You Ready to Explore Macchu Picchu?
Now that you know these Machu Picchu facts, you can greater appreciate the wonder that is Macchu Picchu.
If you liked this article, be sure to check back in with our blog for more interesting facts.