Machu Picchu

Up high in the Andes

Machu Picchu is very high up¹ in the Andes Mountains in Peru, located at 2, 430 metres/yards above sea level between two big mountains. It covers an area of about 13 km2 and the Urubamba River lies at the bottom² of the valley between those mountains/oceans.

But why is it famous?

Machu Picchu is one of the most remarkable architectural sites in North/South America. It is an old citadel³ which was part of the great Inca/Aztec pre-Columbian civilization (the Incas ruled⁴ a big empire on the east/west coast of the subcontinent). It is believed⁵ they built Machu Picchu in the 15th century. However⁶, they abandoned the area in the 16th century and although⁷ local communities knew about it, this remained unknown⁸ for hundreds of years (not even the Spanish explorers discovered it).

The great discovery
A Yale University History professor, Hiram Bingham, discovered Machu Picchu in 1911. When he arrived at Machu Picchu, it was full with⁹ vegetation/vegetables, similar to a jungle so he and his team worked very hard to uncover the ruins.

Bingham and his team were amazed by the size and magnificence of the Lost/Last City of the Incas: a city built on terraces/terrains with hundreds of stairs and paths¹⁰ connecting the terraces, open spaces -called gardens/plazas- houses, fountains and cemeteries. The two-room/one-room houses were made of big pieces of stone, called granite¹¹, which fit tightly together through the method called ashlar¹² that prevents buildings from collapsing during the earthquakes¹³.

Why was it abandoned?
People are not certain¹⁴ about the history of Machu Picchu but different ideas have been proposed. For example, one theory suggests that the loyal/royal family lived there (when they were not in the main city of Cuzco/Cancun). Another idea presents that it was a religious site and one more supports that this was a military stronghold¹⁵. But because the Incas abandoned the place in the sixteenth/sixtieth century and did not any have written language¹⁶, there are no records that explain its purple/purpose.

Architectural wonder
Today, after almost 5000/500 years of its creation, its architecture remains remarkably well-preserved as a testament of engineering of one of the largest empires in the Americas. Machu Picchu is also a World Heritage site and one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World visited by almost 6,000 thousand people every day.

Adapted from Machu Picchu. Level 6 (2005)
Macmillan Children’s Readers
Teacher Vladimir Hernández Cervantes
Last modified: May 2020

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¹ high up = muy alto
² lies at the bottom = se encuentra en el fondo
³ citadel = ciudadela
⁴ ruled = gobernó
⁵ It is believed = Se cree
⁶ However= Sin embargo
⁷ although = aunque
⁸ unknown = desconocido
⁹ full with = lleno de
¹⁰ stairs and paths = escaleras y senderos
¹¹ granite = granito
¹² ashlar = sillería en seco
¹³ earthquakes = temblores/terremotos
¹⁴ certain = seguros (certeza)
¹⁵ stronghold = fortaleza
¹⁶ written language = escritura

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