Machu Picchu is an amazing ancient city hidden high up in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Often called the Lost City of the Incas, it was left empty for many years until it was found again in 1911. Today, it’s known as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World!
Built around 1450, Machu Picchu was created during the peak of the Inca Empire. This incredible city shows off the Inca’s amazing skills in building and engineering. It sits at a height of 7,970 feet (2,430 meters) and is surrounded by a beautiful mountain forest.
Machu Picchu is a complex site with over 600 terraces and more than 3,000 stone steps. It has about 200 structures, including temples, tombs, palaces, plazas, fountains, and even an observatory for watching the stars. Experts think it was built for the Inca emperor as a special place for religious ceremonies and as a getaway from the busy city of Cusco, which is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) away.
The Incas were very smart planners, even though they didn’t have a written language. They built terraces that not only provided flat land for growing crops but also kept the mountainside stable, preventing landslides. They also created clever water systems to bring fresh mountain water to the city through stone-lined canals.
The buildings were made with hundreds of thousands of stones, carefully shaped and put together without any mortar or iron tools. This special way of building allowed the stones to move slightly during earthquakes, making the structures very strong. Even after 500 years, the stones fit so perfectly that you can’t even slide a knife blade between them!
Despite its amazing design, Machu Picchu wasn’t lived in for very long. Just over 100 years after it was built, people started leaving the city. No one knows exactly why, but some think diseases brought by Europeans, like smallpox, might have caused the population to decrease, leading to the city being abandoned. Once everyone left, the jungle quickly took over, hiding it from view until it was rediscovered.
In 1911, an American archaeologist named Hiram Bingham found Machu Picchu and shared it with the world, sparking a lot of interest and tourism. Today, it’s Peru’s most famous tourist spot, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 and named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
Machu Picchu is the best-preserved Inca archaeological site in Peru, offering a unique look into the Inca’s technology, culture, and daily life. Its lasting legacy continues to fascinate historians, archaeologists, and travelers, making it an important part of understanding the Inca Empire.
Build Your Own Machu Picchu: Using building blocks or clay, try to create your own version of Machu Picchu. Think about the terraces, stone steps, and different structures like temples and plazas. How can you make your structures strong and stable like the Incas did? Once you’ve built your city, share it with your family and explain what each part represents.
Water System Experiment: The Incas were experts at moving water. Try creating a simple water system using straws, tubes, or small pipes. See if you can make the water flow from one place to another, just like the Incas did with their stone-lined canals. What challenges do you face, and how can you solve them?
Imagine Life in Machu Picchu: Close your eyes and imagine you are living in Machu Picchu during the time of the Incas. What do you see, hear, and feel? Write a short story or draw a picture about a day in your life in this amazing city. Think about what you might do, what you might eat, and how you would spend your time.
