"Machu Picchu" a Machu Picchu Travel Page by Pete.Gibson

This is without doubt Peru’s greatest treasure situated about 40mls from Cuzco and located on top of a ridge high above the Urbanba river, The best way to visit is via the Inca trail this ancient footpath is one of a system of Inca paths which cover hundreds if not thousands of miles in the high Andes, You can do the 4 day hike along the Inca trail or the shorter route the One day, which is in fact about 6 hours.
I choose the later, The train stops in the middle of nowhere, and you are off, rising out of the river valley and following the sides of the mountains as the track slowly winds its way round in and out of the Jungle, beautiful Orchids, Inca Ruins, Alpaca and llamas are just a few of the things we encountered on our journey, but nothing could compare to the first view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate (Intipunku)_

Machu Picchu translated means Old Peak, And its thought that the Inca built here in the 1400’s most likely as a religious retreat or retreat for the Nobility, No one knows for sure as the Inca’s didn’t have a written Language, It was however a large self contained settlement with approx 150/200 buildings, and a very advanced system of crop cultivation using terraces and irrigation. Growing crops such as Maize and potatoes, enough to sustain a population of about 700 people.

No ones sure why it was abandoned, to prevent it being found by the Spanish? Due to an outbreak of disease? Warring local tribes? But one things for sure, over the centuries the Jungle slowly claimed it back and it lay undiscovered until 1911 when it was rediscovered by American Professor Hiram Bingham, He was in fact searching for Vilcabamba the last Inca stronghold, when he came across it