MACHU PICHU
INTRODUCTION
The glorious works in the fields of architecture and
culture have been the great attributes of the ancient civilizations. One thing
in this regard is undoubted and definite that if you visit any historic place
anywhere in the world, you will be mesmerized with the beauty and hard work
which will be obvious from the masterpieces of the ancient people. To justify
this statement why not has a virtual tour of UNESCO’s another World Heritage
Site? This written effort is to introduce you to Peru which is a South American
country. The place which we will explore is the ruins of Machu Pichu which is
an historic site built in 1450. But the construction work was stopped and
remained closed for almost 100 years. This beautiful historic place was unknown
to the outer world till 1911 when an American historian Hiram Bingham
rediscovered the place. This place was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
in 1983. Its historic importance can be observed from the fact that it was
included in the voting list of New Seven Wonders of World in 2007. This place
belongs to the Inca World. Inca is referred as Inca Empire which was the
largest empire in the pre-Columbian America.
ABOUT THE SITE
There are two portions of the site. One is called the urban
sector and the other is called agricultural sector. These portions or sectors
are divided by a wall. These two sectors are further divided into upper and
lower sectors for agriculture sector and east and west for urban sector. This
further classification is divided with plazas.
The main building of the site contains regular shape walls
which are made of polished dry stone. This is the classical style in Inca
architectural style. The people of the Inca Empire were masters of making
buildings in such style. In this style of construction the blocks of stone are
cut into square shapes with great accuracy that they hold each other tightly
and no material like mortar is used between them. An advantage of not using
mortar between the stones is that it provides more resistant to earthquake.
These stones are held so tightly that even a blade of grass can not fit between
the stones. Although the residents of that time were aware of the use of wheel
but they didn’t use the device in practical terms. They used the wheel in toys.
When they had not used wheel in their practical life then how they moved and
placed such big blocks of stone. It is still an unanswered question and
mystery.
If you are adventurous and like mystery then this is the
best place to visit. This site is attracting tourists every year from all over
the world. In 2003 the total visitors reached to 400,000. It would be great if
you have plan to visit Machu Pichu.