Machu Picchu is an Inca citadel set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, above the Urubamba Valley. It was built in the 15th century and abandoned a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest. The site was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti and was strategically located for protection from disease and as a connection to Inca gods. It was lost for centuries until its rediscovery in 1911 by American historian Hiram Bingham. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, Machu Picchu is one of the most iconic archaeological sites in South America and a major tourist attraction.

2. LOCATION
o Located in the south
east of Peru
o 2,430 metres above sea level
o It lies above the Urubamba Valley,
through wich flows the Urubamba
river
o It was built as an estate for the Inca
emperor Pachcuti 500 years ago

3. Stands in the middle of
a tropical mountain
forest

4. LOCATION REASONS
o When the Spaniards came
the Incans were protected
by the remoteness of their
city
o Disease ridden insects
couldn’t go up that high –
less sickness
o They wanted to be closer to
their gods

5. The space is composed of 140
constructions including temples,
sanctuaries, parks and residences,
houses with thatched roofs

6. HISTORY
o One of the best preserved
Incan ruins
o Incans – a race of people
that built an empire
spanning of western South
America
o The ruins were discovred
by Hiram Bingham in 1911
o Popular tourist attraction

7. HIRAM BINGHAM
o An academic, explorer and politician
from the United States
o Protestant pastor, a land surveyor, a
museum curator, a World War I pilot
o He wasn’t a trained archaeologist
o During his time as a lecturer at Yale he
discovered the largely forgotten Inca
city of Machu Picchu
o He wrote a book „Lost city of the Incas”

8. UNSECO World
Heritage site

9. Llamas roam freely
over the entire site

10. Llamas keep the grass tidy and
are capable of reaching many
spots inaccessible by
lawnmowers or sheep.

11. From the top, at the cliff of
Machu Picchu, is a vertical
precipice of 600 meters
ending at the foot of the
Urubamba River

12. Thousands of tourists hike the Inca Trail – each year,
a two to four day journey on foot
from the Urubamba valley up through the Andes
mountain range. The trip involves sleeping in tents.