Machu Picchu, the cradle of the Mayan civilization

The highlight of any vacation in Peru, whether the holiday lasts only a few days or it takes a few weeks, is undoubtedly Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

Why should you go there?

It's one of the best preserved cities of a civilization considered revolutionary for the period in which it was.

An air of mystery still hovers over where the explorer in us wants to clear up a small part of what was there after hundreds of years ago.

It's a tourist destination that it's not offered on the tray. You need to deposit some effort, if you want to see Machu Picchu, to suffer a little from the hard road and be prepared for unpredictable weather (rain, sweltering heat ... anything is possible and can differ from day to day).

It's only accessible to a limited number of people. Only 2500 people have the privilege to visit Machu Picchu every day.

Is one of the most "desirable" and most promoted tourist destinations in the world.

How can you get there?

There are two ways to get to Machu Picchu: the Inca Trail or by train to the city of Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu).

History

The Inca civilization was born somewhere around the 12th century in the area known today as the Valley of Cusco. It seems that the first Incas came from Lake Titicaca to this quite challenging area. At a time when in Europe the first universities began to appear, in South America an empire grew, covering a huge territory in a short period of time, beyond the borders of Peru today, to Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile.

In this period of maximum development Machu Picchu was built, hidden by the ridge of the Andes, in Urubamba River Valley, at an altitude of 2430 meters. There are indications in the site that actually say that Machu Picchu was not completely finished, but it is known that during its peak the city had about 500 inhabitants. It is suspected that it had either a political, religious or administrative role, but nobody knows for sure what was the purpose of this fortress, built in more than 50 years, as we do not know any reason for abandoning it and how is it that the Spaniards come in 1532 and have never found this place.

It is said that the site was 'forgotten' until 1911, when an American explorer, Hiram Bingham, in search of the golden city of the Incas, got there by walking to the Urubamba River valley.