The Mysteries of Machu Pichu | Ancient Origins

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city built on top of a high mountain. It lies hidden and completely invisible from below. It is located in the Urubamba Valley in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The valley was known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

The name Machu Picchu in the Quechua language means ’Old Mountain’. Machu Picchu was built between 1460 and 1470 by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, an Into ruler. Located at altitude at 2,430 m above sea level, Machu Picchu was most likely a royal estate and a religious retreat.

Architecture

The city of Machu Picchu was surrounded by high mountain peaks and rushing waters. It was divided into two large sectors-the urban sectors and the agricultural sector. The urban sector had plazas, platforms, and about 200 buildings. A system of narrow lanes or paths connected the platforms. Most of the buildings were residences and the rest included temples, storage structures, and other public buildings. The storage structures were carved out of gray granite and were filled with magnificent treasures. Houses in the city were constructed in groups of 10 around a communal courtyard. They were aligned on narrow terraces and were connected by narrow alleys. At the center of a group of houses, was a large open square that was used as a livestock enclosure. Most of the houses were two-storied with steep thatched roofs and trapezoidal doors. They were built of stone and granite blocks that were added together without mortar.

Population

Machu Picchu had a population of almost 1,200 people. Most of the residents were women, 7 children, and priests.The Inca rulers and their families spent a few weeks or months in the city. Most of the people who lived there permanently were the servants of the Inca rulers. A small percentage of the population consisted of metalworkers and specialized craftspeople.

Cultivation

Cultivation was the primary occupation of many people at Machu Picchu. Potatoes and maize were two crops that were cultivated by the Incas. They used advanced terracing and irrigation methods to reduce soil erosion and increase the area available for cultivation to get the highest possible yield.

Decline

The existence of Machu Picchu was not known to many outside the Inca civilization. The city declined after 1527 when 50 per cent of the population was killed by small pox. Much of the place fell into disuse after the Spanish arrived in the Cuzco Valley in 1533 and not long after the city was swallowed up by the jungles.

Hiram Bingham Ill

The lost city of Machu Picchu was discovered by American archaeologist and politician Hiram Bingham III in 1911. Bingham removed the overgrown vegetation and discovered the ruins of the city in a remote part of the Peruvian Andes.

Astronomical Observatory

The city of Machu Picchu served as an
astronomical observatory to the Incas. The LNT-Huata nA stone found at Macho Picchu was an indicator of the date of the two equinoxes and other significant celestial periods. On 21st March and 21st September, when the Sun is almost directly above the pillar at noon, it does not create any shadow of the LNT-Huata nA stone The Incas believed that the Sun‘ sits with all his might upon the pillar and 13 for a moment tied to the rock. The Incas considered this moment suited and held religious ceremonies around the stone.