Sometimes known as the 'Lost City of the Incas', Machu Picchu is located almost 8000 feet up on a mountain ridge in the Andes. There is some debate as to whether or not it was really a city at all or if it was a royal estate. It escaped destruction from the Spanish, one of the few Incan settlements that did.It was brought to the attention of the outside world in 1911 when a lecturer from Yale, Hiram Bingham found it and published a book detailing it's charms. He took many artifacts and the government of Peru is trying to get them back. ("These should be in a museum!")
There's some concern over the number of tourists that go to visit there (some 400,000) each year. It's remote location makes it difficult to get such large numbers in and out without harming the site and the area around it. Balanced against that is the huge tourist dollars that it brings in.
Jodi's pictures from earlier this year are here. Her thoughts on this are appreciated.
2 comments:
Hooray for MP!
I loved it for many reasons. I loved Cuzco, which is the jumping off place. I loved how exotic it felt to have to travel for hours on bus, train, then bus again to get there. It's one of those beautiful places that looks like its pictures (or better). The mountains were spectacular and awesome.
It was so amazing to first see the ruins and walk around them. It's so much bigger than you would imagine. The peak you see in the background is Wayna Picchu. You can climb to the top; however, you have to sign in and out because people die every year. Interestingly, not climbing, but descending. There is a watchtower at the top of it that the Incas used. They had watch towers from there to Lima and had runners between each of them. Considering the terrain, I find it impressive. The passage into MP that they used is fairly high.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I don't think I'll ever go back - it was odd enough to be there in the first place, but if you're in the neighborhood, it is a must!
Thanks, Jodi. It does look amazing up there.
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