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 Machu
Picchu was constructed around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire,
and was abandoned less than 100 years later, as the empire collapsed
under Spanish conquest. Although the citadel is located only about 50
miles from [Cusco], the Inca capital, it was never found and destroyed
by the Spanish, as were many other Inca sites. Over the centuries, the
surrounding jungle grew to enshroud the site, and few knew of its
existence. In 1911, Yale historian and explorer Hiram Bingham brought
the "lost" city to the world’s attention. Bingham and others
hypothesized that the citadel was the traditional birthplace of the Inca
people or the spiritual center of the "virgins of the suns," while
curators of a recent exhibit have speculated that Machu Picchu was a
royal retreat.
It is thought that the site was chosen for its unique location and
geological features. It is said that the silhouette of the mountain
range behind Machu Picchu represents the face of the Inca looking upward
towards the sky, with the largest peak, Huayna Picchu (meaning Young
Peak), representing his pierced nose.
In 1913, the site received significant publicity after the National
Geographic Society devoted their entire April issue to Machu Picchu.
On July 7, 2007, Machu
Picchu was voted as one of New Open World Corporation's New Seven
Wonders of the World.
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