Machu Picchu History

The Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan citadel built high in the Andes mountains of Peru. The site is renowned worldwide for the mystery surrounding its construction and for its astounding feats in architecture, stone-masonry and engineering. It is not only South America’s greatest attraction but has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. I am applying to receive a grant from The United Nations Committee for the Conservation, Preservation and Restoration of Ancient Monuments and Sites (UNCCPRAMS), because Machu Picchu is a remarkable remnant of the great Inca empire and an outstanding example of human settlement, representative of a rich and thriving culture.

Bingham came across the site while searching for the allusive, Vilcabamba, the last Incan stronghold before their defeat at the hands of the Spanish. Even before the years of vegetation had been removed, and he was able to see the beauty of Machu Picchu in its entirety, Bingham was in awe of the building techniques of the Incas. In his book ‘Inca Land’, he recounted this moment in graphic detail; “I entered the untouched forest beyond, and suddenly found myself in a maze of beautiful granite houses! They were covered with trees and moss and the growth of centuries, but in the dense shadow, hiding in bamboo thickets and tangled vines, could be seen, here and there, walls of white granite ashlars most carefully cut and exquisitely fitted together.” When Bingham discovered the site, it was already known to some locals in the area but had been long forgotten by the descendants of those who lived there. There was no records of the Spanish conquerors even knowing of it’s existence, which is most likely a major factor that contributed to its preservation over the years. Machu Picchu is tangible evidence of a civilization at the peak of power and achievement, and illustrates a significant stage in human history. The Incas, in the time of the sites construction, had no iron, no steel and no wheels, which makes their

One of these monuments is the ‘Intihuatana Stone’, a carved rock pillar used as a sun-dial, a sort-of astronomical clock. Each of the four corners of this rock are believed to align toward the four cardinal points (north, south, east, west). The sun, for the Inca’s was a crucial influence on agriculture, so the rock most likely determined when they would plant and harvest their crops. This structure implies that the Incas were very accomplished astronomers and had a far greater knowledge of the cosmos than many thought. Many Incan cities had an Intihuatana, or a similar device, but they were destroyed by the Spanish, who made a point of destroying all remnants of Incan religion. Another noteworthy structure is the ‘Temple of the Sun’, also known as the ‘Torreon’, and is the site’s finest example of Inca stone-masonry. It is believed to have served as a solar observatory and that its windows are placed at key points for observing the solstices. The stone in the center of the temple signalled each solstice according to how it caught the sun’s