Machu Picchu message. Machu Picchu: The Lost City of the Sun

Ilya Melnik

As I already wrote, the most striking trip of the first half of 2018 for me and my family was a trip to Peru. I will not be afraid to once again express the most enthusiastic epithets addressed to her and once again recommend everyone to definitely visit her.

Many people think that Peru is interesting only because it hosts the legendary Machu Picchu, the city of the Incas lost in the clouds, but this is not at all the case. In previous publications, I spoke in detail about the so-called Sacred Valley of the Incas and the Cusco region, which are of no less interest to the traveler. Moreover, there are many interesting things outside the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru - Ica stones, Nazca lines, Lake Titicaca, Amazonian jungle, — so Peru is a country that you can visit again and again.

The idea to visit Machu Picchu was born spontaneously in our family as an extension of a planned trip to Brazil. At first, this idea was rejected due to very difficult logistics. A cursory search showed that Machu Picchu is a rather inaccessible place, where it is not easy for adults to get there, but we were supposed to travel with children. However, in fact, Machu Picchu can be reached quite easily, including with a preschool child, subject to competent advance planning. How to do this, I described in detail here

Machu Picchu is one of the new wonders of the world, the most visited attraction in Peru (more than 1 million tourists a year). An ancient Inca city believed to have been founded official science, in the middle of the 15th century, located in hard to reach place high in the mountains at an altitude of 2450 meters above sea level. At the foot of the cliff flows the Urubamba River (the sacred river of the Incas, flowing through their entire sacred valley).

Before going into detail about amazing story Machu Picchu, I want to immediately emphasize that this is really the most amazing place I have seen from the man-made ones. Emotions, when you find yourself in this city, overwhelm, even despite the crowds of tourists (and if you arrive in the morning, the crowds can be avoided). This is a definite must-see, friends. Be sure to add it to your travel calendars.

"Discovery" of Machu Picchu

The "official" date for the discovery of Machu Picchu is July 24, 1911, when Yale University professor Hiram Bingham reached it, accompanied by the son of a local resident. Bingham explored the slopes of the Andes with the expedition and stopped for the night in the hut of an Indian family.

The little son of the owners was literally fascinated by the big white stranger and did not leave him a single step all evening. Bingham gave the boy a shiny one salt coin, not even suspecting that in return he would receive a truly priceless treasure. A small Indian led a scientist to the ruins of an ancient city.

Even a cursory examination was enough for Bingham to understand that he had just made the greatest discovery.

"Discoverer" Machu Picchu Hiram Bingham (first from left)

Like much that is connected with Machu Picchu, this date of "discovery" is a myth (or convention - call it what you want). The fact is that at the end of the 19th century, Europeans began to learn about the existence of a “celestial” city. There are documents that in 1894, another local farmer, Augustin Lizaraga, showed Machu Picchu to a certain Luis Ugarte, and in 1901, Lizaraga and two of his friends wrote their names on a rock near Machu Picchu. Bingham was well aware of this, but tried not to advertise such facts.

Machu Picchu remained unknown only to Europeans: there is a lot of evidence that locals were well aware of the existence of this place. Thus, the terraces of Machu Picchu were used by the Indians after the arrival of the Spaniards, which turned out to be recorded in the tax reports of the Augustinian monks of the 16th century. Moreover, by the time Bingham “discovered” Machu Picchu, several families lived on the territory of the ancient city, who used the same terraces to grow local crops.

At the same time, one should not belittle Bingham's merits either - after all, it was he who first began to study Machu Picchu as a professional historian, archaeologist, and scientist. True, a number of authors believe that he did not go far from ordinary robbers who plunder antiquities, since during his three subsequent expeditions (1912-1915) he sent more than 5,000 artifacts to the United States, allegedly for a while, for research, but they remained in America and were only returned by Yale University in 2007 after lengthy demands and threats from the Peruvian government.

Despite all efforts, historians and archaeologists have not been able to find anywhere indications of the real name of the city used by the Incas. The words "Machu Picchu" (translated from the language of the Quechua Indians who inhabited Peru before the Spaniards, literally means "Old Mountain" - as opposed to "Huayna Picchu - "Young Mountain") to designate this city was first used by Hiram Bingham, as they say, for want of a better one.

Foundation date

Machu Picchu and the age of the ancient city Historians associate the foundation of the city with the name High Inca Pachacuteca (1438-1471), i.e. Machu Picchu is officially founded in the middle of the 15th century. However, there are many facts that indirectly testify to the much older age of this city.

The official version of the story refers to the comparison of buildings located in the center of Machu Picchu with buildings located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Cusco. These buildings are made in a similar manner of polygonal masonry, which I already wrote about last time with admiration and delight, and official historiography considers them to be the authors of the Incas, which means that Machu Picchu could only be built when the Inca empire was created. Yes, yes, we are talking about those Incas, whose 12-million-strong empire was conquered by a detachment of two hundred Spaniards who did not know the wheel and writing. It sounds like complete nonsense, in my opinion, it is nonsense, however, if you come to Machu Picchu and take a guide, you will be convinced that it was so.

If we turn to the facts, they are inexorable: along with Inca objects, Bingham found in the city a lot of stone axes, bones of ancient bison, obsidian tips and pottery from the pre-Inca period. This, of course, is not about the fact that the city was built with stone axes, but it was known to the people living here for a very long time, obviously not 100 years before the Spanish conquest.

In his descriptions of Machu Picchu, Bingham, who devoted his whole life to it, repeatedly speaks not of the Incas, but of an unknown ancient civilization:

“The main thing is the delight of discovering here and there under hanging vines or perched on top of overhanging rocks massive stone structures past race "(H. Bingham)

When talking about the age of Machu Picchu, historians cite radiocarbon data as an argument, which satisfies the main part of the general public. However, radiocarbon analysis is applicable only to organics, i.e. with its help, in principle, it is impossible to determine the age of the stone and buildings made of it. Organics found near this stone (for example, dishes) are analyzed, and at least a strange conclusion is made that if the jug dates back to the 15th century, then the building in which it is located also has this age. It's like if in 1000 years archaeologists will begin to determine the age of the Moscow Kremlin by some random plate from the presidential service.

In my opinion, the most important argument in favor of much more ancient age Machu Picchu is on the surface. Like many things in Peru, Machu Picchu combines two types of buildings:

• those that were created using technologies that are not inferior or even superior to modern ones (to paraphrase - built by some other, clearly not Inca civilization),


• and those built directly by the Incas.

At first glance, the architecture of Machu Picchu fits well into this formula - the city center is occupied by "houses for the nobility" and "temples" with high-quality masonry (outlined in red on the map), and much simpler buildings are located on the outskirts of the city (in zone outlined in yellow) - see the map of Machu Picchu (it is in Spanish, but the photographs and inscriptions are quite clear):

Map of Machu Picchu. The “profane” zone is highlighted in yellow, the “sacred” zone is highlighted in red. On the left of the map are terraces (agricultural sector). There is a small moat between it and the city.

However, there are a number of places where this harmonious logic is clearly violated, and violated very seriously. The most indicative is the complex of buildings, which is usually called "workshops" in guidebooks. This is a series of houses located near central square(on the map - the border between the yellow and red zones), just opposite the so-called "temples":

Two levels of technology in the "workshops" (from A. Sklyarov's book "The Sacred Valley of the Incas")

The lowest tier of the “workshop” complex is represented by the already well-known megalithic polygonal masonry of well-worked granite blocks laid without any mortar. However, the second tier of the same houses shows us a completely different construction technology: above the clearly visible border, there is already a masonry of much smaller, poorly processed blocks, fastened with clay mortar. This is quite understandable if we assume that the Incas "inherited" Machu Picchu and completed their constructions here on the remains of ancient buildings. But this is almost inexplicable from the standpoint of official historiography, except that the architects and builders suddenly lost their qualifications or suddenly died (jumped into the abyss or something). There are fundamentally different phases of construction, spaced apart in time and radically different in technology, and later technologies turn out to be much more primitive.

And, of course, this happened not only "vertically" - as in the case of workshops, but most often - horizontally. The Incas built their buildings on the periphery, around the center of the city, built long before them by a completely different civilization.

Population and purpose of Machu Picchu

There are about 200 buildings in Machu Picchu, from which archaeologists conclude that at its peak, its population should have been about 1,000 people. At the same time, already in the middle of the 15th century, the city was drastically deserted (why, no one knows), and Bingham managed to find only 173 human skeletons in it.

Various sources circulate information that out of these 173 skeletons, 150 belong to women. This conclusion was made by Hiram Bingham himself, from which he concluded that best girls from all over the empire, apparently to form the harem of the Supreme Inca. This is a delusion, nothing more than a legend. Scientists from the University of Massachusetts concluded that of the 173 remains found, only half belong to women. Yes and appearance the city looks more like convent but an impregnable fortress.

Against the version of the "harem capital" of the Inca Empire, the complete absence in Machu Picchu of any gold items and jewelry that the Incas actively used when decorating their main capital- Cuzco (remember the field of golden ears of corn near Coricancha).

So, the version of a secluded place where selected concubines were taken to the emperor seems untenable. What then was the purpose of this city? Different scientists express different versions, of which the version of a kind of "Vatican" seems to be the most convincing, the existence of which was not particularly advertised. To anyone who has been to Machu Picchu, the sacred character is obvious this place- it is really extremely unusual and filled with completely indescribable energy.

Thinking about the purpose of the city, we must not forget that it was founded not by the Incas, but by another, much more advanced civilization. In the book “The Sacred Valley of the Incas” I have already mentioned, Andrei Sklyarov puts forward a version that this place was ideal for the rest of the “gods”, away from the “human-monkeys” knocking bananas from palm trees with sticks. Be that as it may, the final truth, apparently, is not destined to be known to anyone.

Important tips for visiting Machu Picchu

• From July 1, 2017, the order of access for tourists to Machu Picchu has once again changed. An innovation has been introduced that it is impossible to turn around and walk around the city in different directions - all the paths are organized so that they form big ring. In different parts of it there are guards who do not allow you to go against the flow and force you to go forward. So, this path inevitably leads you to the exit from Machu Picchu, and in order to enter the city again, you need to go through the turnstile again. When we were in Machu Picchu (May 2018), it was possible to make an unlimited number of entries on one ticket in the time interval indicated on the ticket (from 6:30 to 12:30 or from 12:00 to the closing of the complex). During the preparation of this material, I read that in the near future they plan to cancel the possibility of multiple passes to the complex on one ticket.

• You cannot buy tickets before entering Machu Picchu! This must be done at least in Aguas Calientes (or better yet, pre-order them via the Internet). How to do this is described in detail in my publication "How to get to Machu Picchu and not go crazy".


• Officially, you cannot bring food or drinks with you, but bags are practically not searched, and you can usually bring something (a sandwich or at least water). You can eat and drink right in front of the entrance to Machu Picchu, the price is raised, but not more expensive than on Red Square :).


• Unfortunately, quadcopters are strictly prohibited in Machu Picchu. Right at all. There is an article on Vinsky's forum about how the guys still launched the copter, carrying it in parts with the help of guides, but they were quickly caught and they ran into a bunch of problems. I tried to get permission in advance, but to no avail. By the way, in principle, the import of a quadrocopter into Peru is a hemorrhoids enterprise. At the border, you need to pay customs duty in the amount of 25% of the cost of the copter, and then, upon departure, get it back. However, this takes time, which is not always available at the airport, and the Peruvian customs officers are the same as ours (well, you understand).


• Don't trust the weather forecast. The weather at the top is unpredictable - it's best to play it safe and buy plastic raincoats. Weather programs can show you that there will be sunshine, but you can get into a terrible downpour (actually, as happened to us).

Actually, Machu Picchu. Beauty indeed!

At the end of this long publication - a few photos and notes directly from our walk around this ancient city.

Climbing up the half-hour serpentine on a special bus, we got into a terrible downpour. While they were pulling on their raincoats, they managed to get wet, plus the raincoats themselves turned out to be not ice either. The mood was so-so, because the sky seemed hopelessly covered with clouds. Nevertheless, we decided not to wait out the rain under the roof at the entrance (as most of the arrivals did), but to wander upstairs, taking the opportunity to take pictures of Machu Picchu with a minimum of tourists.

In the background is Mount Huaynu Picchu. To climb it, you need to buy a special ticket, but it's worth it. Recommended to anyone traveling without small children.

Fortunately, after about an hour the rain subsided, the clouds began to disappear and the weather began to improve, and these changes occurred quite quickly. Satisfied alpaca dries in the sun:

One of the many alpacas grazing on the terraces of Machu Picchu

I will say a banality, but the photographs do not convey even a hundredth of the emotions that you experience in this city. To quote the "discoverer" of Machu Picchu Bingham:

“By the variety of his charms, by the power of his charm, I know of no place in the world that can compare with him. Apart from the great snowy peaks rising more than two miles above the clouds; gigantic cliffs of multicolored granite rising sheer thousands of feet above a foaming, sparkling and roaring rapid, this place also has a striking contrast of orchids, ferns and trees, the attractive beauty of lush vegetation and the mysterious charm of the jungle. Irresistibly attracting continuous surprises in a deep windswept gorge, turning and meandering past overhanging cliffs of incredible height. (Hiram Bingham)

The feeling is that you are just walking next to the clouds - the way it is!

In Peru, high in the Andes, almost at the very top mountain range Since very ancient times, there has been an ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu.

This "city among the clouds" during the time of the Inca Empire was secret and inaccessible to ordinary people. The most important people of the Inca Empire lived in Machu Picchu.

The supreme rulers of the mighty Inca empire took care of their safety and therefore the city was specially built on an impregnable height above the valley of the Urubamba River.

They remember pr...

The great Inca ruler Pachacutec, foreseeing the upcoming changes, ordered the construction of this city in such a remote place in order to protect himself and his entourage. And he succeeded. Machu Picchu was built in such a place that it was almost impossible for an ignorant person to reach it. When the Spaniards invaded the Inca Empire in the 16th century, they never conquered this city.

The existence of the "lost city of the Incas" was only a legend for a long time. No one in the world knew if he really existed. There is no written mention of him anywhere. And only at the beginning of the 20th century, the American Hiram Bingham, a professor at Yale University, who examined these places, reported about its existence. But even after the discovery of Hiram Bingham, for thirty years there were no people who wanted to visit Machu Picchu. Until the employees of the archaeological expedition working in these places accidentally stumbled upon ancient road The Incas who led them through the valley to this ancient citadel.

The city itself has a fairly clear structure. Palace buildings on the southeast side. To the west is the main temple, in which an altar for sacrifices was built. Opposite is a compact residential area of ​​two-story houses. It's quite large in size. small town. It has about 200 buildings. According to simple calculations, a little over 1000 people lived here.

At that time, the city was built very, very competently, and in some places even original. All buildings in the city are made of carefully crafted stones, which are so tightly fitted to each other that no mortar was needed to hold them together. Moreover, the stones are stacked so that there are small gaps between them. This provided the buildings with a kind of earthquake resistance. Despite the frequent earthquakes in the area, the buildings are perfectly preserved.

One of the largest and apparently the most revered structures is the Temple of the Three Windows. Through these windows, the sun's rays enter the inner area. According to the legends of the Incas, this was part of a certain ritual, and three windows identify the trinity of the world. According to an old legend, it was through these three windows that the three founders of the Inca Empire entered the world.

Not far from the temple, a little higher, a building has been preserved, which, according to the assumption, could serve as an observatory for observing heavenly bodies. This also confirms the presence here of a stone of a special shape, strictly oriented to the sun. The Indians call it Intivatana, or "reference point of the sun." It's kind of like a sundial.

Chet structures are made as a kind of dungeons. Since no prisoners were kept here, it seems that women lived in them, the so-called priestesses of the sun, mamakunas - the chosen virgins. But most likely they were ordinary concubines of the supreme rulers. As far as is known, the supreme rulers did not particularly bother themselves with marriage bonds. During the excavations, 173 human skeletons were found, of which 150 were female. And in the tomb of the chief priest, the remains of a woman with signs of syphilis were found. So all the studies not only did not open, but, on the contrary, increased the number of secrets of this place hidden from people for centuries.

The builders of the city did not forget about the urgent needs of the inhabitants of the city. Despite the extremely limited area, near the settlement, terraces were artificially created on the stone slopes for growing crops. It was very difficult to do this. The terraces are also framed with hewn stone and covered with fertile soil. Moreover, all this is done firmly for centuries. total area such artificial fields are more than 5 hectares.

It is not clear how water was supplied to these terraces, but there are some bowls in the city itself, probably they were intended to collect rainwater. But this is for drinking as a last resort. And how were the plants growing on the terraces watered? It is possible that the Incas grew plants that did not need artificial watering, especially since frequent fogs over the river valley provide sufficient humidity.

And although Machu Picchu is almost 1,000 meters lower than the ancient Inca capital city of Cusco, this unique place is perfectly protected from prying eyes by nature itself. It is also surprising that in the valley of the Urubamba River, there is almost never a wind. But here, even during the day, there is twilight - the peaks of the mountains obscure sunlight, and the water rolling over huge boulders muffles all sounds. It's useless to even shout here, your voice will simply not be heard.

According to historical data, the city did not exist for so long, from 1440 to 1532. And although the Spanish conquerors never got to Machu Picchu, for some unknown reason, the inhabitants left this city. And since then, it has been streamlined by clouds, silently keeping its secret.

Today, anyone can get to Machu Picchu, but only 9 months a year. The road from Cusco to Machu Picchu still exists as it was made by the Inca builders. It is quite possible to get there by car or by small bus. Usually tourists are offered to go down on a llama. This exotic look transport is still the most indispensable in the Andes.

If you travel to South America, do not miss this opportunity to visit this unique place. The impressions received from touching the ancient civilization of the Incas will remain with you for the rest of your life.

Video: The ancient city of Machu...

On our well-trodden and explored planet, there are rarely places that could amaze the imagination modern man. And yet they are. In the Republic of Peru - a state in South America, at the beginning of the 20th century, a strange settlement was discovered in the Andes, which the local Indians call the "City in the Sky", and we know it as Machu Picchu - the "old peak". This abandoned settlement still arouses the interest and surprise of scientists. Archaeologists and historians cannot answer many questions, including: for what purpose was the extraordinary architecture “City in the Sky” erected in a remote place, for what reason did its inhabitants leave?

The Indians climbed high into the mountains not by accident. They were looking for a hard-to-reach place for a free life and performing sacred rituals. They dragged everything with them: simple belongings, seeds of nutritious plants, tools, valuables. They had no oxen, no horses, they did not know the wheels. All on your hump. The head of the tribe said that it was necessary to get used to the wild mountains, it was necessary to build an impregnable sanctuary city, it was necessary to catch the sun, look at the moon, worship the deities, give them shiny metal. And then everyone will be fine.

That was a long time ago? Presumably, in 1440, that is, a century before the arrival of the first Spanish conquerors in South America. The Indians crushed stones in the quarry, lifted them up. They cleaned the layers of the earth, laid the stones close, without cracks. They built sacred temples and dwelling houses, smelted jewelry from gold and silver and kept them in temples. They created the Inca empire. The Incas promised everyone eternal life...

From the height of the neighboring ridges, the sanctuary of Machu Picchu looks like a toy town. It is all gray granite. There is bright greenery all around, light clouds froze on the tops of the mountains, deep below in the gorge the Urubamba River winds its way. Altitude - 2450 m above sea level. It is difficult to imagine a more secure settlement. Today it attracts tourists with its pristine nature and exceptional human creation.

INCA EMPIRE

It is known that in the XII century, having chosen the valley of the Urubamba River for their settlement, the Incas began to create their empire there, called Tahuantinsuyu, which can be translated as “4 provinces”. Gradually, their territory expanded and reached today's Colombia in the north, Chile - in the south and Brazil and Argentina - in the east, from the west the empire was washed by waves Pacific Ocean. Before the discovery by Columbus North America In 1492, the Inca Empire became the most big state in the territory South America.

The Incas, more precisely, the imperious clan to which the Indian tribes obeyed, were farmers. They did not have plows, they loosened the earth with sticks. They grew maize, cassava, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, tobacco, coca, and cotton. They domesticated the llama, which gave them wool. The dishes were made of clay, but they did not know the potter's wheel, they melted gold and silver. For housing, they tied the wood with leather straps. The community kept about a third of its harvest, gave a third to temples, and a third went to the reserve. Men from the community served as soldiers, participated in the construction of roads, in laying bridges, erecting temples, and beautiful girls the community gave to the harem to the Inca priests.

DISCOVERING MACHU PICCHU

The American historian Hyrum Bingham is recognized as the discoverer of Machu Picchu, who gave it this name. The original name of the town is unknown.

In the summer of 1911, Bingham explored a remote area in Central Peru. From the local Indians, he heard stories about the lost cities of the Incas, which the Spaniards did not find, but did not attach much importance to them, since much turned out to be empty talk.

Bingham's expedition moved from the city of Cusco, ancient capital Inca, in the jungle. After about 110 km, the expedition reached the site where, according to his assumptions, the fortified city of Vilcabamba, captured by the Spanish conquistadors, should have been located, but nothing was found.

The local Indian, Melchor Artega, told Bingham about another city abandoned by the Incas, which, according to the descriptions, looked like Vilcabamba. The expedition went through the thickets of the jungle, along the banks of the turbulent Urubamba River. Five days later they reached the foot of the mountain range. The incredible was revealed to their eyes: laid out stone terraces could be seen on the slopes, the silhouettes of buildings could be seen in the height - the whole city. And not a single person.

Hiram Bingham did not expect such a miracle. The village made an indelible impression on him. The buildings are well preserved, but there were no roofs. It seemed that the inhabitants simply left the city, leaving it forever. Maybe because of an epidemic or other danger.

More than 500 years have passed since the departure of people, no one has looked into Machu Picchu. The Spaniards did not reach him. Otherwise, they would not have left stone unturned from him.

As Bingham noted, the city was built on terraces, with stone steps leading to all the temples. The building material was stones, which were carefully machined and closely fitted one to the other without mortar.

In the center of the town, as Bingham suggested, there was a temple complex dedicated to the sun, next to it was the palace of the high priest. On the eastern side of the town, another temple with three huge windows was built from stone blocks. Later it was called that - "The Temple of the Three Windows." To what deity it was dedicated remains unclear.

On another rock, the Incas built a semicircular tower from stones, on which small altars were carved. Bingham also discovered strange building, reminiscent of a prison - it had small cell-chambers with hooks, to which, apparently, criminals were chained. Away, he found burial caves, in which nine female skeletons were found.

Later, Bingham took all the valuable archaeological finds found to the United States. According to experts, there were several tens of thousands of them. They became the most valuable collection of Yale University.

TRAVELING FOR GOLD

The Spanish conquered Peru in 1524. Machu Picchu still existed by this time, although it was living out its last "days". The conquistadors Francisco Pizarro, Diego de Almagro and the priest Hernando de Luque, who were in Panama, decided to explore the lands inhabited by the Incas, and sailed from Panama with detachments on ships. They had to wade through the jungle, and around 1532 they reached the Inca capital of Cuzco, occupied it, but did not stop there.

The conquering Spaniards were looking for gold in Peru, as in other lands of South America. At the same time, they took with them strong, healthy men, less often women, who were sold profitably to Europe. The Incas could not resist the Spaniards, armed with muskets, cannons, steel sabers, spears. Hearing shots, drumming, they all left and ran away. The aliens seemed to them bearded monsters from another, terrible world.

The Incas had gold. They made various decorations from it, which they kept, as a rule, in temples. Nobody took him. The Spaniards, knowing this, looked for temples, grabbed priests, asked them where the gold was stored. The priests could not stand it and told...

On November 16, 1532, Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca ruler Atahualpa. For his release, the leader himself offered the Spaniards gold and silver in the amount of ... three rooms. Pizarro did not believe, but agreed. By decree of Atahualpa, messengers were sent to all parts of the country. Most likely, Atahualpa's messengers took the gold from the sanctuary city as well.
Machu Picchu.

Journey to the golden gods

Machu Picchu - unique object architecture; in grandeur, scale and originality, only the Egyptian pyramids can be compared with it. But if the heritage of the pharaohs, messengers of the ancient Gods, has been studied up and down by numerous archaeologists and historians, then the Incas, with their amazing successes in astronomy and urban planning, still cause controversy and disagreement in near-scientific circles. It is its secret, combined with the incredible beauty of the landscapes surrounding the remains of a once great civilization abandoned high in the mountains, that annually attract millions of tourists to Peru.

Machu Picchu. Story recent years life

Briefly about past days

Machu Picchu ancient city of the Incas was founded by the ruler of Pacachutec in 1440 (according to some sources in 1438) and became a refuge from the tyranny of the Spanish conquistadors for several thousand people. Remoteness from the territories occupied by the Incas played a key role in the life of the city; the Spaniards, who at that time captured almost all the surrounding lands, bypassed the settlement in the mountains. In 1532, an event occurred that still disturbs the minds of many lovers mystical stories – Inhabitants of Machu Picchu disappeared without a trace. And now the area dead city has become a source of rich knowledge about the ancient Peruvian people and a place of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the world.

In the footsteps of modern Indiana Jones

A man named Hiram Bingham was able to discover a settlement hidden high in the mountains in 1911. For his exciting discovery and the huge, many years of work spent in the ruins of Machu Picchu, he found a reputation as an archaeologist and scientist, passionate about the idea of ​​a lost city. Already in our time, the name of Hiram Bingham will be associated with the cult character created by director Steven Spielberg - Indiana Jones. And this association is not accidental. The path taken by this man: from libraries, where he bit by bit collected information about a distant, hidden in the depths of history, civilization, to the moment when the cleared territory macha piccha showed his eyes majestic buildings, immersed in the rays of the mountain sun, worthy of a better film adaptation.

And although many of Bingham's conclusions were refuted in the future modern research, it was thanks to the work of this American archaeologist and politician that the world became aware of Machu Picchu.

What to pay attention to

The Incas were famous for their architectural talents, and Machu Picchu is proof of that. The Peruvian people chose the place perfectly. Its territory was chosen in such a way that it could not be seen from below, and the height made it possible to provide residents with clean water and provisions.

In the high point Intuatana stone is located - a sacred object for the inhabitants of Machu Picchu, which, according to many experts, performed a religious function. Its calendar properties were also indispensable. Thanks to the shadow cast by the sacred stone, the Incas knew what agricultural work to start.

The main temple, where the priests offered sacrifices to their gods, and the Temple of the Three Windows, the purpose of which is unknown to this day, are located in the main temple complex.

Of particular interest may be the Temple of the Sun God, it was called Inti. The highlight of the building is the top of the mountain located in the very center, hewn by the Incas with the help of hand tools.

The Temple of the Condor, named because of the similarity with the shape of this type of bird, has a special architecture. In its center there is a small depression with several shelves of unknown purpose. In front of the entrance is a huge boulder similar in shape to the head of a condor. Scholars believe that this could have been a place of sacrifice; there are special grooves on the stone for drainage (possibly blood). There is a version that the Incas could use this building as a prison.

Travel notes

Machu Picchu: how to get there?

To see with your own eyes the greatness of the Inca civilization, touch mysterious history their disappearance, walk among the ruins, which many centuries ago were part of divine city, will have to cover a distance of 13,000 kilometers.

Unfortunately, direct transport communication between Russia and Peru does not exist, so the flight will have to be made with a transfer in Spain or Cuba. Its price varies within 700 US dollars. You can choose several airlines for the flight: the Russian Aeroflot, KLM, or a passenger carrier called Iberia.

After arriving in Lima, the capital of Peru, you will drive to the main Inca settlement - the city of Cusco. It can be reached at regular bus Cruz del Sur, which departs from the capital twice a day. This pleasure will cost 70 soles ($20). The salons are equipped with everything to make the passenger feel as comfortable as possible: TV, wi-fi, comfortable, easy chairs. The disadvantage of this method is its duration; On the way you have to stay for about a day.

You can get to Cusco by air flights are carried out several times a day. The cost is $200 per person. However, the amount spent pays for itself: the journey will take only an hour and a half, you won’t have to shake on the bumpy roads of the mountain serpentine. There is no rail link between Lima and Cusco.

The next part of the journey of 110 kilometers can be covered by choosing a car or train as a means of transportation. The second option is preferable; it allows you to admire the amazing landscapes that open before the eyes of tourists, while the train slowly climbs up. The price is $150 round trip per person. If you have a few hours of free time left, you can try to get by bus (70 soles) to Hydroelectric. It's about a five hour journey. From Hydroelectrica to the village of Aguas Picchu, where the bus stop is located, three hours on foot.

From end station to Machu Picchu, height whose location is 2.4 km above sea level, ply local buses. The $7-$10 ride will take about twenty minutes. The tightness of a crowded cabin can be exchanged for a walk; there is something romantic in this way, in the spirit of adventurers, because you have to climb the Inca trail, surrounded by the impenetrable Peruvian jungle.

Book in advance

Peru is not a country where everything can be done as quickly as possible, so you need to take care of buying tickets as early as possible.

Tickets can be purchased at the entrance, at the ticket office. Its cost for tourists fluctuates within 50 dollars. For ISIC students, the price is half the price.

If there is an urgent desire to get to Huiana Picchu, then you need to book an entrance ticket no later than three months before the scheduled travel date. Do not forget that there is a restriction on visiting Huaynu Picchu - no more than 400 people can climb this sacred mountain for the Incas daily. The first group of 200 people starts at 7.00 am, for the rest the access to the territory of the complex is open from 10.00 am.

Machu Picchu, photo which can be found in the vast world wide web or in numerous thematic magazines, a place where everyone who is in awe of history should visit mysterious disappearance once powerful people. This is a place, over the riddles of which, for a hundred years, the best minds have been struggling. modern world, about which writers and filmmakers create new stories from year to year.

Machu Picchu is a place that cannot be described in words. You need to see it, and no amount of money can compare with the mass of impressions that you will receive when you find yourself among dilapidated houses and temples, where the life of the ancient people filled with bright colors of the surrounding world once boiled.