To build a grandiose structure, you need to have advanced technologies. It is unlikely that with the help of only one rope and a stone ax one can achieve success in construction. Today, archaeological research shows that thousands of years ago there were civilizations that possessed unique knowledge and the ability to build magnificent structures. Their skill in processing stone and building entire cities from it amazes even the most experienced architects of modern society. Our ancestors left on the way of their development traces that correspond to their greatness. Now these traces are known to us as ancient megalithic monuments. One of them is the legendary city of Machu Picchu.
An architectural creation of Indian architecture
Machu Picchu is located in the heart of the Andes mountain range at an altitude of about 2.5 km above sea level and covers an area of 30,000 hectares. It is often called the "heavenly city" and is considered the oldest settlement of the Inca civilization. The complex contains several hundred buildings and is also designed with amazing clarity. The southeastern side of Machu Picchu consists of palaces, temples and the homes of the wealthy. The most unusual building is considered the "Temple of the Condor", which got its name from the sacrificial stone in the form of a bird's head with a beak, around which a groove is carved. According to one hypothesis, this bird was considered sacred and personified the symbol of freedom among the Incas. Behind the sacrificial stone there are two small rocks, symbolizing the wings of the condor.
When building the terraces of the legendary city, the builders used stone blocks of huge dimensions, weighing about 200 tons, polished with amazing precision, which testifies to their professionalism and skill. In addition, all structures in the city were built according to an earthquake-resistant system. Scientists came to the conclusion that the creators of such an architectural creation needed to be well versed in ecology, topography, geology and astronomy. For example, during the construction of the city, natural slopes were used, and the construction technology itself took into account the possibility of earthquakes and the accidental displacement of rock layers by 40 degrees.
Scientists cannot understand how huge stones were transported from a distant quarry, descended steep cliffs, and then perfectly polished. Even after several centuries, a knife blade cannot penetrate between the joint seams! It took incredible skill to build a city on top of a mountain range. Researchers of the complex to this day cannot get answers to the questions: how old is this settlement? Why was it built in such a hard-to-reach place? For what purpose? And most importantly: why did they leave him?
Experts put forward a version that the city was built by an absolutely unknown civilization even before the appearance of the Incas in this area. And only after a while, the Incas erected their structures on the ruins of ancient megalithic monuments.
Promotional video:
History of the ancient settlement and its discovery
According to some experts in the field of archeology, the city complex was built in 1440 AD. as a huge mountain shelter and served until the end of 1532. Then the Spaniards began to conquer the Inca state, after which the historical data on Machu Picchu suddenly breaks off … All the local residents of the city disappeared without a trace, and for almost 400 years the complex remained uninhabited.
Only at the beginning of the twentieth century, poor peasants settled in the ruins of the lost city, wanting to live without burdening taxes and devastating wars. Rumors began to spread about the forgotten legend: slowly but surely.
In 1911, a researcher from the United States, Hiram Bingham, visited Machu Picchu and was amazed at what he saw: palace buildings, temples, 2-storey residential buildings, a sacred altar and an observatory. The road network was built at the highest level and compared with the quality of the roads of ancient Rome.
The researcher suggested that the geographical location of the city was best suited for astronomical observations. The Incas considered their most beautiful city endowed with supernatural powers. Perhaps that is why they chose the mountain structure of the Andes for construction, in order to get closer to the Sun and serve their gods every minute.
Remarkably, the discovery of Machu Picchu happened by accident. In fact, Hiram Bingham was preoccupied with the search for a completely different legendary city - Vilcabamba. According to the legend of the Incas, valuables belonging to them, as well as the mummies of kings, were exported here. This was during the period when the Spanish began to conquer the empire. Bingham explored the mountains to find the trail of the lost city. On the way, he was met by a teenager with a jug. As a specialist, the scientist immediately noticed that the vessel was not simple. The boy told where he found the jug and showed the way. So it became known about the lost legendary city of the Incas - Machu Picchu.
The inaccessibility of the famous city
The Machu Picchu complex was dubbed the lost city of the Inca civilization. The jungle consumed it in a short period of time due to the humidity of the climate. After the sudden disappearance of the inhabitants, the architectural masterpiece fell asleep. Only hundreds of years later, Hiram Bingham organized an expedition in search of the lost city. Its members took a long time to clear the found structures from dense vegetation. And although the research of scientists was able to reveal to some extent the secret of the life of Machu Picchu, the knowledge gained is very limited.
The main task of the city was the safety of the inhabitants, and it was difficult to get into its territory. The closer to the city, the more difficult and dangerous the path became: a narrow path, only a few centimeters wide, passed along the edge of the abyss. On one side, the city was protected by an abyss, over which a drawbridge was built. The other side, not protected by steep rocks, was surrounded by a wall, the height of which exceeded 5 m and the width was 1 m. All the surrounding hills were equipped with observation towers. The sentinels were there.
The main part of the city structures of Machu Picchu was cut in the rock, and the rest of the buildings were masonry of perfectly fitted stone blocks. For the Incas, rocks and mountains have always been considered the embodiment of their ancestors, so the city built was magical for them.
The purpose of the city and the disappearance of the population
For what purpose Machu Picchu was erected remains a mystery today. Some call it the residence of the main ruler of the Incas - Pachacuteca. Others consider the place where the children of noble nobles were trained: the boys received knowledge of astronomy, and the girls studied manufacturing skills. According to another version, the city authorities supervised other neighboring peoples, and also controlled the roads leading to subtropical and tropical areas, in which vegetables, fruits, coca and medicinal plants were grown. All of these products were considered the most important for the Incas. Machu Picchu was able to survive for about 100 years, until the colonialists from Spain seized the territory of the Inca empire. It was at this time - 1532, that all the inhabitants of the city mysteriously disappeared. Here, too, scientists put forward several theories. So,perhaps the food supply could have been cut and the famine forced the townspeople to leave. In addition, more than 5 thousand inhabitants from the common class could leave to fight, and all the nobility (about 3 thousand people) went to another city - Vilcabamba. It was there, according to scientists, that all the treasures of the ancient Incas were taken. There is a third version: the Inca civilization with its highly developed technologies simply moved to another dimension, away from violence, cruelty and wars.the Inca civilization with its highly developed technologies simply moved to another dimension, away from violence, cruelty and war.the Inca civilization with its highly developed technologies simply moved to another dimension, away from violence, cruelty and war.
Today, the legendary lost city of Machu Picchu is under threat of extinction, as the mountain ranges with buildings located on them are destroyed as a result of soil erosion - 13 cm per year. The platform on which the unique architectural monument is built is sliding into the abyss and can disappear at any time. There is a legend that all this destruction is the result of the curse of the ancient Inca civilization. However, every year tens of thousands of visitors risk their lives to visit the legendary city of Machu Picchu to see the last resting place of a highly developed civilization.