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Discovered in 1911 by Hiram Brigham, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and a New Wonder of the World since 2007, Machu Picchu is a site of tremendous energy and wonder. High above the clouds for most of the time, it was built to not be visible from below. Surrounded by jagged Andean peaks, Machu Picchu was a self-contained city that the Incas inhabited for hundreds of years before they inexplicably abandoned it in 1450. The Spanish that had by then invaded the Inca Empire never reached it, plundering villages all around but they never discovered the site. The ancient city remained undisturbed until its 1911 discovery, when scholars had a chance to explore and study it. 70 kilometers(43 miles) outside of Cusco, there is even today only one way in, up the winding mountain road that is a part of the famous Inca Trail. 
It is separated into three districts, each dedicated to where the nobility, the priests and the common people lived. The true purpose of its existence is still disputed, with most scholars supporting the theory that it was a retreat for the Inca emperor. The city contains 200 structures, including temples, palaces, plazas, houses, sky observatories, quarries and agricultural fields as well as sophisticated infrastructure such as drainage systems, aqueducts and irrigation canals, all built without the use of mortar. The stone blocks used for construction are so well measured and positioned that one cannot even insert a razor blade between them. | 
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 | It is said that the silhouette of the mountain range behind Machu Picchu represents the face of the Inca looking upward towards the sky, with the largest peak, Huayna Picchu (meaning Young Peak), representing his pierced nose. Today, the surrounding area forms the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, which also protects the local ecosystem and the more than 180 species of orchids that are endemic to the region. Each travel2help.org traveller heading to Peru has the opportunity to make an arranged overnight visit to Machu Picchu as part of their volunteer abroad project placement. |
This friendly llama recommends that you
click here for more pictures. Click here for a beautiful video of Machu Picchu. |  |
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