Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel built high in
the Andes mountains of Peru.
It sits at around 2,430 metres (7,970 ft)
above sea level, surrounded by steep green mountains, clouds and valleys,
creating a dramatic landscape.
Historians still debate exactly what it was used for. Perhaps a
royal retreat, or perhaps a religious center, or perhaps a ceremonial place.
The unanswered questions add to its mystery.
The Incas used the natural shape of the mountain, building terraces and structures that worked with the landscape rather than against it.
The site is famous for its precisely fitted stonework. The Incas built it without mortar, using stones shaped so tightly they still fit together after centuries of earthquakes.
Workers carved the granite into blocks using stone tools, then shaped and fitted them together with incredible precision.
Some of the stones were moved around the site using ramps, rollers, ropes, and large groups of workers, but because the quarries were nearby, they did not need to transport massive stones over long distances.
The stonework, terraces, water channels, and earthquake-resistant construction show incredible skill without modern tools.
Machu Picchu was likely abandoned in the 1500s, around the time of the Spanish conquest, but the exact reason is still debated and another mystery.
One theory is that when the Inca Empire collapsed after the Spanish arrived, the system that supported the site disappeared with fewer people available to maintain the terraces, buildings and religious activities.
It may also have been affected by disease brought by Europeans (such as smallpox), which spread through the Andes before the Spanish fully took control and killed many Indigenous people.
Unlike many Inca sites, the Spanish never found or destroyed Machu Picchu, probably because it was remote and hidden in the mountains. The local people continued to know about it, but it was eventually reclaimed by the forest.
After Hiram Bingham brought international attention to it in
1911, it became one of the world’s most famous archaeological landmarks. Beside Machu Pichu is Mount Machu Pichu. The mountain is a steep peak with a summit of
about 3,082 metres (10,111 feet) above sea level.
The hike up Machu Picchu Mountain is about 2 km (1.2 miles) one way with an elevation gain of roughly 300 metres (1,000 feet) from the Machu Picchu site. For those unfamiliar with hiking, this is a tough hike. And making it tougher is that it starts at 2,430 metres (7,970 ft).
John and Bill decided it was an endeavor they should undertake.
It is mostly very steep stone steps. So to put this in a comparable that most people can understand, it is like climbing 100 stories in a building.
From the top, you get a wide view of the entire citadel, the
surrounding Urubamba River valley, and the dramatic Andes landscape.
John and Bill tackled it and succeeded!
The laws of gravity state that what goes up must come down...
Which can be just as tough.
At the end of it they were very tried, but, very happy and very proud.
They deserve bragging rights. Great job guys!
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