Their lost civilization

Remains of the ancient Inca civilization (known worldwide as Machu Picchu) are located 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Cuzco in the South American country of Peru. These remains are also known as a lost civilization that exists in the mountain ranges of the Andes. The remains are located in the valley of the Urubamba River, between narrow and intricate paths between two high mountains. One of them is Machu Picchu which means old peak and the other is Hoviana Pechu which means new peak. It is 7710 feet 2350 meters high. Machu Picchu's archaeological site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1983.

For centuries, the world was unaware of the existence of this lost civilization until the world became aware of it when American archaeologist Hiram Bingham, a professor at Yale University, discovered it in 1911. Bingham was searching for the lost city of Inca, where the last Inca ruler led a revolt against the Spanish government until 1572. Bingham met Machu Picchu during excavations in 1912. Cited evidence that this was their lost city.

In addition to this, another discovery regarding the lost city of Inca is presented as evidence which is called espiritu pampa and these remains have also been discovered by Bangham. The espiritu pampa site was extensively excavated in 1964 under the leadership of Gene Savoy American Explorer.This site condition was very bad. Extensive forest had grown here but Savoy did

From this place, they discovered the remains of three hundred houses, more or less fifty buildings, and spacious platforms of the people of their civilization, which proves that this place was an area with a large population.

Further excavations at the Machu Picchu site were carried out by Bingham in 1915, by the Peruvian archaeologist Louis in 1934, and by Paul Fitzgerald in 1942-1941. Which shows that Machu Picchu was a fortified city that was also used as a traveler's inn.

Machu Picchu's style of architecture and other discovered 6 suggests that it was built as a complex by their ruler, Pachacuti, in 1450, who ruled their people from 1438 to 1471. Excavations in 1912 have uncovered several structures, most of which have been identified as female structures. According to Bingham, the Machu Picchu elite class consisted of women who were young virgins and this place was made their refuge. They were called Virgins of the Sun.

Many experts believe that Machu Picchu was built as a royal estate. But why this city became desolate and what were the reasons for its desolation is still not known. Experts have presented many ideas of its desolation. The east, west, and south sides of Machu Picchu are surrounded by agrarian-style staircases. When Bingham arrived in 1911, the local wild people used some of these stairway-like plots.

Remains of Machu Picchu have yielded thousands of footprints, stone blocks, as well as footprints on rocks, fields, residential areas, terraces, cemeteries, and large buildings.

In the southern part of Machu Picchu is the sacred rock known as the Temple of the Sun. It has a lot of rocks in the center and a cave between them. Its cracked walls are full of irregular carvings. The top of the rock is covered like a horse's hoof, which is called a battle tower. The western part of Machu Picchu is part of the temple. It is a hall with three windows, 35 feet long and 14 feet wide, with three square windows in the wall.

Machu Picchu has palaces of princes with high-quality stone work. It is also possible that these are the homes of the Inca elite. Their palace is a large room with triangular walls and a courtyard.

At the other end of the Machu Picchu, a path leads to the Inca Bridge. Many other cities were also built on the high hills of Hoviana Pecho, with the ruins at the top, accessible by long sloping paths. Of the remains of all these ancient cities, only Machu Picchu has been extensively excavated.

Machu Picchu is considered one of the wonders of modern times. It is said that the city was deserted only a century after it was built. And since then it is still in ruins. There are only speculations as to what caused the devastation and experts present their views. According to some, the Spaniards had reached here and wreaked havoc here, but there was no evidence that the Spaniards had ever reached here. Some believe there was a disease that caused the disaster. The age of their civilization was at its peak in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is most likely that it was 1530 when the Spaniards conquered the pre-Columbian civilizations, but as noted earlier, there is no evidence that the Spaniards invaded Machu Picchu on the mountain tops. The city may have been devastated by the smallpox epidemic, and the famine and civil war between the tribes may have been taken into account.

Machu Picchu is an attractive tourist destination in Peru where millions of people from all over the world come here every year. The remains can be reached by a train journey from Cuzco and then by a 1,640-foot hike from the Aurobamba Valley on a winding road. Very few people hike from the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. This 88 km trail takes about 3 to 6 days.

Modern archaeologists consider Machu Picchu to be a remnant of a religious city. But the mysteries of this lost city of their civilization are still unresolved, and in view of the public interest in their remains, it is considered one of the wonders of modern times.