Machu Picchu Facts
There are many interesting and unknown facts about the Machu Picchu ruins in Peru and on this page we aim to enlighten you on all the facts you need to know about Machu Picchu and its interesting sites.
>>Machu Picchu was believed to have been made around the 15th century and was rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham.
>>Machu Picchu which is located 70km Northwest of Cuzco the former capital of the Inca civilisation.
>>The ruins of Machu Picchu are 2,430 meters above sea level and is situated on a ridge in the Andean mountain region.
>>Machu Picchu is called the “lost city” because the jungle had literally swallowed it when Yale explorer Hiram Bingham III “rediscovered” it in 1911. When the overgrown vegetation was removed, the complex of ruins was revealed.
>>Separated into two areas the first being the agricultural area and the second is the urban section. The structures are arranged so that the function of the buildings matches the form of their surroundings. The agricultural terracing and aqueducts take advantage of the natural slopes and the lower areas contain buildings occupied by farmers and teachers.
>>The ruins of Machu Picchu were declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 the ruins have also been included in the new seven wonders of the modern world list.
>>The annual temperature averages 16°C (60°F) and annual rainfall is between 1500mm and 3000mm at low altitudes. At 2,500m (8,000 feet) altitude, the average temperature drops to 10.2°C (50°F), and annual rainfall is 2170mm. The dry season lasts from May to September and the wet season from October to April.
>>Many of the building blocks that have been used to create Machu Piccu weigh 50 tones or more yet are precisely sculpted and fit together with great precision that the mortarless joints will not permit the insertion of even a thin knife blade.
