Its geographical location also preserved it from the Spanish conquistadors and more importantly, from tomb raiders. Because of that, the city was pretty much intact when it was re-discovered.
The Great Wall of China is impressive due to its size. However, it is known that it took millions of people and hundreds of years (5BC-17AD) to build the wall and the different sections of the wall were built with the materials available to the region. The stones used in Machu Picchu were brought from a really distant location and it is still unexplained how they were carried to the top of the mountain without any heavy machinery. Also, it was built in a short period of time since it was designed to house the Incan Emperor Pachacutec and his wifes.
Machu Picchu is a well preserved Inca citadel at high altitude in the Andes of Peru 50 miles north west of Cusco.
Many of the buildings have been reconstructed and more work is being done. It was built around 1400 by Inca workers and features stonework with a very high accuracy of jointing and terracing on very steep slopes to provide growing areas for crops, including potatoes. developed for growing at high altitudes.
The Incas were skilled horticulturalists and had more than 500 varieties of potatoes. Soil from the terraces has been shown by analysis to have come from up to 30 miles away, carried there probably in woven backpacks similar to modern tea baskets.
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/p...
A Sun temple a sundial and a rock showing the orientation of a star group are important finds showing the culture of the Inca people.
http://www.delange.org/MachuPicchu4/Mach...
Machu Picchu was made popular by an American historian and traveler called Higham Bingham who visited the site in 1911 and whose name is remembered in many ways locally including being the name of the Orient Express rail service to Machu Picchu from Cusco. There is no outside access to the valley by road, only by rail, but a road ascends from Aguas Calliente, a town which developed at the end of the rail track, to take visitors by bus to Machu Picchu, which for some people is a scary ride.
See picture below, 5th link
There is a cheaper train called the backpacker train which leaves earlier and is a better deal.
The site was made a UNESCO world heritage site in 1983.
http://www.orient-express.com/collection...
https://www.perurail.com/en/
https://www.perurail.com/en/guide_train_...
http://www.machupicchu-inca.com/aguas-ca...
http://www.chrystal-clear.com/wp-content...
Getting there cheaply
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind...
Machu Piichu is the what a Pickachu evolves from. Super rare to find. They are nervous and shy creatures.
To put it simply, its beautiful, and has a lot of amazing history.
I need help with my geography homework which is about Machu Picchu..
What makes it so special ? Why do tourists go there ? How is it different (in special-ness) compare to the Great Wall of China ?
Thanks :)
