The
ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is
the star attraction of Cusco. Discovered
in 1911 by US explorer Hiram Bingham,
the citadel is deemed one of the world's
finest examples of landscape architecture.
Machu Picchu ("old mountain"
in Quechua, the ancient language of the
Incas) nestles on top of a mountain saddle
high above the Urubamba River in the middle
of the cloud forest. It was both a center
of worship and astronomic observatory
as well as the private retreat of the
family of Inca ruler Pachacútec. It is
split into two major areas: the agricultural
zone, made up of terracing and food storehouses;
and the urban zone, featuring the sacred
sector, with temples, squares and royal
tombs which have been carved to an extraordinary
degree of perfection. The stone staircases
and canals are found throughout this unique
archaeological site. Over the citadel
looms Huayna Picchu ("young mountain"
in Quechua), which can be climbed up a
steep stone-paved trail. (PromPerú) |