Machu Picchu

Archeological Site Peru, Peru

Machu Picchu is an Inca archaeological site located in Peru, in the Urubamba valley, about 2430 meters above sea level. Seen in the collective imagination as the remains of an ancient and fascinating lost city, the locality is now universally known both for its imposing and original ruins and for the impressive view of the underlying Urubamba valley about 400 meters lower. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, elected in 2007 as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. It is the third largest archaeological site in the world after the excavations of Pompeii and Ostia Antica. Periodically, the construction of a cable car to reach the city from the valley floor is proposed, but so far the proposal has not passed.

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared. By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored and restoration continues. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historic Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.