Ensayo Geologia: Machu Picchu

In summation, “Despite the mysteries surrounding it, Machu Picchu is recognized as one of the world's great archaeological wonders.” (Source 1) . Machu Picchu is a breathtaking site for the entire family, and is fun and educational, at the same time! I know, crazy. But anyway, surely now Machu Picchu is calling your name, so go have fun, explore and be happy in the beautiful land that is Machu

Machu Picchu is one of the great Wonders of the World and a popular travel destination. The massive 15th century Inca citadel is located in Peru, sitting over 2,000-metres above the sea level. The mysterious structures have tickled our imagination ever since it was brought to the world’s attention in 1911.

Machu Picchu is located in the north west of Cuzco, Peru and is one of the 7 wonders of the world.

While not very far from the Incan capital of Cuzco Machu Picchu is deep in the Andes Mountains. Machu Picchu was used by the Inca as an imperial retreat and aesthetics were probably one of the driving forces when the location was chosen. The breathtaking Urubamba River surrounds the city on three sides, which gives Machu Picchu a beautiful panoramic view. Even though the city was very beautiful it had several problems. Perhaps the most pronounced was the inherent instability in the land. This led to landslides and severe erosion that the Inca were forced to combat during construction. Machu Picchu is also located on an active fault line, which would have only exacerbated the instability of the land. The site choice was important to the aesthetics of the city, but perhaps even more important was the layout of the city itself, which the Inca also paid a lot of attention to.

Some people don’t know the great and amazing place called Manchu Picchu, which is an old Inca building that many architects admire. Those people don’t know that thousands of tourists and visitors come to look at it, wonder about its past, and to reflect off of it. In source two, the author states that “A world heritage is a place that is amazing. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization support that Machu Picchu is a world heritage.” This shows the reader how important and stunning Machu Picchu was. In this essay we are going to talk about what was so amazing about Machu Picchu, how it affected the environment and how it inspired architects, and how and who made it.

The most significant physical geographical factor that contributed to the development of the Ancient South American society of the Incas was the Andes Mountains. The Andes are the longest mountain range and one of the highest with its tallest peak, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, topping out at 22,841 feet (Zimmermann, 2013). The Inca Empire had settlements that ranged from sea level, to its center of government in Cusco at an altitude of 11,200. Despite these difficulties, the Inca people thrived, and managed to create trails, water-ways and agricultural practices that remain in use to this day.

The most significant physical geographical factor that contributed to the development of the ancient South American society of the Incas was the Andes Mountains. The Inca Empire had villages and cities throughout the Andes Mountains. Some of these settlements were as low as sea level and their capital, Cusco, was at an altitude of 11,200 feet. The Andes are considered some of the longest and highest mountain ranges. In fact it’s tallest peak, Mount Aconcaqua, in Argentina, tops out at 22,841 feet (Zimmermann, 2013). Despite the fact that people were traversing mountains the people flourished creating trails, aqueducts and agricultural practices that still exist today.

city was built on a strict plan causing it to be divided into two parts: an upper

1. Before Francisco Pizarro began the Spanish conquest in 1532, the Incan empire dominated the Andes Mountain region. An emperor who demanded strict obedience ruled the land. All business was run by the state, which could draft citizens for its projects. The Inca, terracing the landscape and irrigating the crops, farmed the mountainsides. The Inca were brilliant engineers, whose roadways included bridges. The city of Machu Picchu is an example of their skill with tools like the plumb bob and wooden roller, which they used for in heavy construction. Hundreds of years after their civilization was subdued by the Spanish, the descendants of the once-dominate Incas make up about 50 percent of Peru’s population.

High in the Andean mountain range, nestled on a ridge between two mountains high above the valley floor below sits the amazing city and archaeological site of Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is about 1400 kilometers south of the Equator on the eastern slope of the Peruvian Andes. The site lies near the head waters of the Amazon River and is on the ridge between two prominent mountain peaks – Machu Picchu and Hauyna Picchu – about 500 meters above the valley bottom (Wright and Kenneth, 2-3). Machu Picchu, believed to be the royal estate of the Inca ruler Pachacuti, is the most well-known of all the Inca archaeological sites. Professor Hiram Bingham discovered the site in July of 1911 and excavated it with the help of National Geographic and

b. Machu Picchu is a mountain city built by the Incas. It was a religious site. In 1911 it was discovered by the Europeans. It is now a tourist site.

First, the Incas were both master builders and stonemasons, and they created and constructed many useful and beautiful buildings, roadways, and walls. The Incas built the site of Machu Picchu in Peru, and its, "City buildings and terraces ... are of the best quality", and, they are still standing today (3). This shows that the Incas were a very sophisticated society who solved their agricultural problems and provided shelter for their people. Also, this indicates that the Incas were very conscious about the quality of their buildings. In addition, the Incas were also superior wall builders because, “ Using bronze chisels and stone hammers they fitted

Built at the height of the Inca empire, Machu Picchu is not only one of the world’s most stunning man-made wonders, but possibly the most well-known relic of the Americas’ most powerful civilization. At the time the structure was built, the Incas ruled the largest nation in the world ; it covered much of South America's west coast and its borders stretched from present day Colombia, southward to the border of modern day Chile. The empire thrived from the twelfth to the fifteenth century until the Spanish conquest in 1572. Although the empire expanded at a rapid speed and covered abundantly diverse areas, Incan emperors effectively unified their empire and maintained legitimacy both socially and politically, by employing unique organizational

The second theory was that it was the city of the Inca Wiraqocha, eighth king of Cusco. The Incas new the true personality of the King: that he was cruel and favoured the rich. When he died, his youngest son ordered his city, Machu Picchu, to be abandoned. His people agreed and the city was gradually covered in vegetation, not to be seen until the 1900’s.

Machu Picchu is a physical symbol of the culture that created it. It is located in the Andes Mountains in Peru, South America, high above the Urubamba River Canyon Cloud Forest. The Incan capital, Cuzco, the closest major city, is forty three miles northwest of this landmark. Machu Picchu is five square miles and eighteen square kilometers in size. This ancient civilization has an altitude of eight thousand feet and is surrounded by towering green mountains. Although covered in dense bush, it had many agricultural terraces that were sufficient enough to feed the population. Due to water from the natural springs as well as the agricultural terraces, it had the ability to be self-contained. Machu Picchu was created by the Inca culture for