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| Project Quechua |
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| Machu Picchu • Machu Pikchu |
Machu Picchu is two Quechua words that roughly translates to "old mountain.” Machu Picchu is the most famous and popular Inca archaeological ruin in the world. The city is divided in two sections: Hanan and Urin according to In c a tradition.
Machu Picchu was so well hidden that the Spanish Conquistadors, thankfully, never found it.
Most of the city is constructed using the classic dry polished rock method of placing stone on stone without mortar, known as ashlar. To this day, we still do not exactly understand how the Inca managed to move and place such large stones with such precision. Wheels were not used to transport immensely heavy rocks for the construction of the city.
Machu Picchu was a royal estate built for the Inca king, Pachacutec around 1450. The city is thought to have been either a country estate for the emperor, or an important place of worship. The exact purpose of the site is still a mystery.
The historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu is full of cultural significance. Its various sites, complexes, monuments and citadels are intertwined with each other and with their environment. This is a unique artistic achievement and also a masterpiece of architecture. Everything is sacred andcultural and is related to each other, including the natural environment in which it is built upon.
Today, Machu Picchu continues to represent a truly mysterious masterpiece of architectural and engineering ingenuity, and the icon of Inca civilization.
