The ruins of Machu Picchu, rediscovered in 1911 by Yale archaeologist
Hiram Bingham, are one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites
in the world. While the Inca people certainly used the Andean mountain
top (9060 feet elevation), erecting many hundreds of stone structures
from the early 1400’s, legends and myths indicate that Machu Picchu
(meaning ‘Old Peak’ in the Quechua language) was revered as a sacred
place from a far earlier time. Whatever its origins, the Inca turned the
site into a small (5 square miles) but extraordinary city. Invisible
from below and completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural
terraces sufficient to feed the population, and watered by natural
springs, Machu Picchu seems to have been utilized by the Inca as a
secret ceremonial city.
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