You are on page 1of 7

Gabby DiNucci

Mr.Palcsey

Honors English 10

April 26, 2018

The Land of the Incas: Machu Picchu

The mountains, jungles, and views of Peru are breathtaking; could it be a green screen?

Nope, it is the Machu Picchu, one of the most marvelous wonders of the world. In the depths of

Peru in the Andes Mountains situated between two sharp peaks stands a magnificent and sacred

site known as the Machu Picchu. But how did it get there and who it built? This site was built

over five hundred years ago and still stands today. The American Indians that created this

amazing place were the Incas who were directed by their emperor, Pachacuti to construct it. The

location of the Incan capital and Machu Picchu is Cuzco. Many researchers and explorers have

shown interest in the well-known site and have recorded their findings and extended their

discoveries with the rest of the world. The Machu Picchu is one of the greatest archeological

sites in the world and its most interesting elements are its inhabitants, history, and mysteries

surrounding the admired monument.

The Machu Picchu did not just form out of thin air. A group of people had to have made

this stunning archeological site hundreds of years ago. So, who created this massive stone area

and when? To understand the history of the Machu Picchu, the indigenous people of Peru must

first be comprehended. The Incas were a group of American Indians that resided in Cuzco, the

Incan capital of Peru (Bingham par. 1). Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui ruled over the Incas from 1438-

1471. During his reign he expanded the great empire by 75% and transformed the kingdom of

Cuzco to the Incan Empire (Kops 7). The Incas constructed the Machu Picchu under Pachacutis
DiNucci 2

reign in 1450 (Burger and Salazar 7). “The Machu Picchu was a symbol of his divine power,

legitimacy and authority”(Burger and Salazar 27). This quote portrays Pachacuti’s goal for the

building of the Machu Picchu, he wanted to be seen as authoritative.

The Incas religion is also a major component of why the Incas built this magnificent site.

They believed that they descended from the sun and claimed that the Sun and Moon god

instructed them to go out and gather all nations and bring them inward, to a common center.

(Burger and Salazar 33-34) In the Machu Picchu there are two shrines in which the Incas would

perform rituals at, one of them offers a place to worship the Sun. The shrine dedicated to the sun

is referred to as “The Temple of the Sun” and Pachacuti himself helped with the formation and

creation of this temple. Inside of the Temple of the Sun stood a rock in the center that acted as an

alter for sacrifices to the Sun god. (Burger and Salazar 28-33) The Incas also believed that rocks

and mountains were sacred which was why they wanted to build the foundation of their empire

in Cuzco, in the peaks of the Andes Mountains (Kops 6). In the middle of the Machu Picchu

stood a large rock referred to as The Ceremonial Rock (Kops 6). This provided the most sacred

element in the whole site and its role was to host the most sacred and significant sacrifices. All

around the enormous ceremonial rock were small river rocks that were scattered about which

symbolized the sacredness of the river being brought into this sacred site.(Wright and Zegarra 8-

9) Large stones and boulders were worshipped by the Incas because they believed they were

sacred and should be protected, that is why the Machu Picchu is made of rock in the side of a

mountain.

Next, the Incas did not have advanced tools or machinery in the 1450’s when they built

the Macchu Picchu which makes the detail and outstanding design of the area so much more

incredible. The construction of the Machu Picchu involved a strategic understanding in its
DiNucci 3

foundation because it had to be sturdy and strong in order to hold the weight of the vast amount

of the granite that would be placed atop it (Wright, Ken. Personal Interview. 15 Sept, 2009). The

Incans specifically placed the Machu Picchu in the Andes because it lies hidden in the tropical

jungles where it is concealed it from the Spaniards who were always looking to conquer the

Incas (Bingham, 21). Peru is exposed to a large amount of earthquakes and during one the

jumble up of rocks provided a sufficient amount of granite to the Incas to build the Machu

Picchu (Wright and Zegarra 10). When constructing the Machu Picchu, the Incas had to take into

consideration the weather and how different seasons might affect the site. Drainage was essential

when building because Cuzco receives about 76 inches of rain per year and if the Incas did not

take weather into consideration then the site could have flooded and perhaps eroded away

(Wright,Ken. Personal Interview. 15 Sept, 2009). The Incas however were very intelligent and

created a water draining system. Some components included in the system were a central main

drain to separate agriculture from living areas, terrace surface drainage to help with excess run

off, subset caves specifically used for drainage discharge etc. The Inca set up the drainage

system in a very prestigious way. Hiram Bingham even stated that “Inca were good engineers”

due to their extending knowledge of complex ideas, like the water draining system (Bingham

par. 25). Ken Wright also mentioned in an interview conducted in 2009 he was amazed and in

awe of the Incas because “they did not have a written language, they did not have iron or steel,

and yet they were developing drainage systems that were good. And we know they were good

because Machu Picchu lasted for 500 years.” When the Incas built the Machu Picchu they did

not have a wheel, steel, iron, or even mortar to hold the massive stones together so they had to

intricately place each stone so that it would hold up against the earthquakes. (Wright, Ken.

Personal Interview. 15 Sept, 2009). Around seven hundred terraces were hand carved into the
DiNucci 4

mountain and secured by granite walls. These terraces provided a great amount of support,

stability and complimented the aesthetic of the mountain beautifully (Wright and Zegarra 14-18).

The Machu Picchu was built long ago so the granite is no longer white like it used to be but it is

a grey and rocky looking due to aging over time (Wright,Ken. Personal Interview. 15 Sept,

2009). The lay out of the Machu Picchu consisted of sections such as the agricultural sector,

urban sector, and the Huayna Picchu which means “New peak”. Much of the Information that we

know about the Machu Picchu today theorizes a man named Hiram Bingham and his discoveries.

In 1911, Hiram Bingham, who taught Latin American History at Yale University, showed

interest in the ruins of Vitcos, which is the native name for the Machu Picchu, so he went on an

expedition and started his journey in Cuzco. He and his team began in the Urubamba valley

where they went through many jungles and forests in search for ruins. An Indian man that

resided on a small plantation by the Urubamba valley led Bingham and his team to an ancient

footpath that revealed the edge of a cliff. Bingham and his team then came across old abandon

buildings made of stone and a few rods down they saw what seemed to be a temple and a palace.

This led to Bingham’s discovery of the Machu Picchu and he had just unveiled a historical

masterpiece. Bingham began an excavation to make a map of the large site (Bingham par.11).

When he explored the Machu Picchu he looked at all the stone dwellings and studied the whole

landscape. He took photographs of the stones, terraces, mountain and sacred shrines. After the

excavation, he wrote down all of his findings in a journal and eventually wrote a book talking

about the Incas and their sacred area. Bingham coined the phrase “The Lost City of the Incans”

which led into how the Spaniards eventually conquered the Incas, thus causing the Incas to flee.

In 1531, Atahualpa ruled as the Emperor of the Inca Empire. He defeated his brother

Huascar in a five-year civil war which greatly weakened the Inca empire. At this point the Inca
DiNucci 5

empire had already begun to weaken due to diseases such as smallpox and the five-year civil war

only made the Inca Empire fall faster. The Spaniards saw an opportunity to seize the Incan

Empire so Pizarro arrived to the coast with 260 men and hid horses and gun men while

surrounding the Central Plaza near the center of Machu Picchu. Atahualpa entered the Central

Plaza unarmed and the Spaniards surrounded and captured him. They also began shooting canons

into the crowded square taking almost seven thousand Inca lives. However, not a single Spaniard

lost his life. The Spaniards held Atahualpa ransom until the Incas payed a large sum of money.

The Incas payed around fifty million dollars in today’s dollar amount but it still did not meet the

Spaniards high demand so they killed him and completely took over the Incas territory. Over a

long period, there were attacks on and off between the Incas and the Spaniards because the Incas

so desperately wanted their territory back but the Spaniards would not budge and their military

was way better than the Incas. (Burger and Salazar 13) This left the Incas separated from the

Machu Picchu, hence why Bingham called it the “Lost city of the Incans”. Eventually, the

Spaniards also left the Machu Picchu leaving it abandoned.

There are many questions surrounding the Machu Picchu such as why did the Incas build

it? It is all a mystery. Many explorers dive into this broad question and come out with various

answers. In the book “Machu Picchu; Unveiling the Mystery of the Incans”, Burger and Salazar

talk about the probability of Pachacuti building the Machu Picchu as a royal estate or even a

summer get away (48). In numerous amounts of historical documents it shows remnants of royal

estates surrounding Cuzco (Burger and Salazar 49). Another proposal they brought forward

entailed that the caretakers and servants would reside at the site throughout the whole year.

Many people also wonder why the great site perceived to be abandoned and Burger and Salazar

mention that “the site was never a self-sufficient center with an economic base” (Burger and
DiNucci 6

Salazar 47). This means that although there are shrines and it represented a cherished place, it did

not provide the economic factors that it needed to withstand the Spaniards and that is why they

were easily conquered. Spanish conquerors were not attracted to writing about the Machu Picchu

because they usually wrote about places of significant military or economic importance (Burger

and Salazar 48). Another reason why the Machu Picchu is such a mystery because there were

scarcely any documents found near and around the site. The Machu Picchu is a great mystery

and will always be.

To conclude, now that the Machu Picchu has been abandoned by its native people it sits

in the mountainous terrain of Peru and serves as an outstanding monument for tourists around the

world. The ruins are fascinating and the view of the Machu Picchu from the high mountain top

entice tourists to visit it again and again. In 2007 the Machu Picchu was named one of the Seven

Wonders of the World not only because of its amazing views but also because of its intriguing

history. Due to the creation of the Machu Picchu, Pachacuti transformed the kingdom of Cuzco

into the Incan empire. Hiram Bingham and his team along with all other explorers that showed

interest in the Machu Picchu provide evidence into the lives of the Incan culture, religion, and

numerous mysteries that the archeological site leaves with it. Although the Machu Picchu leaves

no inhabitants dwelling in it, it served its purpose to the Incan elite and will encapsulate the eyes

of tourists around the world for years to come.


DiNucci 7

Works Cited

Bingham, Hiram. “In the Wonderland of Peru.” Rediscovering Machu Picchu, National

Geographic , Apr. 2013, www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/1913/04/machu-picchu-

peru-inca-hiram-bingham-discovery/.

Burger, Richard L., and Lucy C. Salazar. Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas.

Yale University Press, 2008.

Kops, Deborah. Machu Picchu. Twenty-First Century Books, 2009.

Wright, Ken. “A Marvel of Inca Engineering.” NOVA, NOVA, 1 Jan. 2010,

www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/wright-inca-engineering.html.

Wright, Ruth M., and Alfredo Valencia Zegarra. The Machu Picchu Guidebook: a Self-Guided

Tour. Johnson Books, 2004.

You might also like