Machu Picchu is a well-known historical place and one of seven wonders. In this poster, anyone will found a basic concept of Machu Picchu's location history, architectural facts and characteristics of Machu Picchu. Inca civilization civilized this city without the aids of wheels and any iron tools. Isn't it enough to be wondered?

1. Name of city
Machu Picchu is called as such because of its Spanish originations as Machu
meaning old and Picchu meaning peak; mountain or prominence with a
broad base which ends in sharp peaks and hence, "old peak”.
Location
Machu Picchu is a pre- Columbian 15th-century Inca site located on a ridge
between the Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu mountains in Peru, in South
America. It sits 7,970 feet (2,430 meters) above sea level on the eastern slope
of the Andes and overlooks the Urubamba River hundreds of feet below. The
site covers 80,000 acres (32,500 hectares).
History
The Incas built the city on a mountain ridge. They lived there between 1200
and 1450 AD. Other people lived there before about 650 AD. The Incas built
houses, fields and temples by cutting the rock on the mountain so it was flat.
They built an observatory to look at the stars. When the Spanish invaded
Peru, the Incas left Machu Picchu, unfinished.
Most people on Earth did not know it was there Hiram Bingham
rediscovered it in 1911. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the
New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.
Residential area of Machu Picchu.Top plan of Machu Picchu.
Sacred space of Machu Picchu.
An emperor’s abode
Many archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as a royal
estate of sorts, the presence of elite residences in the northeast sector of the
site backing that idea up. It would have been used by the emperor and his
family as a temporary respite, the site supporting a small number of
year-round caretakers.
A staircase running beside the royal compound leads to a plaza below, and
the emperor was afforded a garden, a private bath and even a private toilet
area — the only private one on site.
Temple of the Sun
The “Temple of the Sun” has an elliptical design similar to a sun temple
found at the Inca capital of Cuzco. It is located near where the Inca emperor
is believed to have resided at Machu Picchu. A rock inside the temple could
have served as an altar. During the June solstice the rising sun shines directly
into one of the temple’s windows, and this indicates an alignment between
the window, rock and solstice sun.
Beneath the temple lies a cave, naturally formed, which the explorer
Bingham referred to as a “royal mausoleum,” although there’s little evidence
that it was used as such. A boulder carved into a stairway lies near the cave
entrance and the underground chamber likely served a religious function of
some form.
Principal temple
A series of religious structures is located on the northwest of the site,
bordering the plaza. A building adjacent to the “Principal Temple” is known
as the “Temple of the Three Windows” and contains a large amount of
broken pottery, ritually smashed it appears.
Machu Picchu Facts
• Machu Picchu is also known as the Lost City of the Incas. It is a mysterious
wonder. A city of stone built without the aid of wheels or iron tools. This is
the best example of Inca engineering. More than 600 terraces prevent the
city from sliding down the mountain. A water supply system extends over a
length of about 1 km.
• Structures were built with a technique called “ashlar.” Stones are cut to fit
together without mortar. Remarkably, not even a needle can fit in between
two stones.
• The citadel is divided in two parts: Hanan and Urin according with the
Inca tradition.
• Many of the stones that were used to build the city weighed more than 50
tons. How did these stones get up the mountain? Some were chiseled from
the granite bedrock of the mountain ridge. For others, hundreds of men
pushed the heavy rocks up the steep mountain side.
Residential Area Sacred Space
- Architectural features -