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The stone city of Machu Picchu is one of the most fascinating archeological sites on the planet.
Explore Machu Picchu, the Inca stone city in Peru: its precise dry-stone engineering, earthquake resilience, mysterious purpose, abandonment, and rediscovery.
Key Takeaways
- Machu Picchu showcases remarkable Inca engineering, including mortarless stonework and earthquake-resistant design.
- Its original purpose is still debated by archaeologists due to the absence of Inca written records.
- The site was hidden from the outside world for centuries until its rediscovery in the early 20th century.
What the video covers
- Machu Picchu is a well-preserved Inca site located northwest of Cusco, Peru, and is one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in the world.
- The Inca civilization at its peak stretched about 2,500 miles along South America's Pacific coast, from modern Ecuador to Chile.
- Machu Picchu was built around the mid-15th century and sits near the center of this vast empire.
- The Inca built its palaces, temples, terraces, and infrastructure from stone without wheels or steel or iron tools.
- They used no mortar, yet the stones were cut so precisely that they fit snugly together.
- Built on two fault lines, the site's stones shift during earthquakes and settle back into place, helping preserve the structures for over 500 years.
- The purpose of Machu Picchu remains uncertain; theories include a ceremonial site, a military stronghold, or a noble retreat.
- Many structures appear to align with astronomical events, suggesting astronomical significance.
- The site was abandoned in the early 16th century, about a century after its construction, and the lack of a written Inca language leaves no records explaining why.
- Spanish conquistadors never found Machu Picchu, and it remained largely unknown to outsiders for centuries.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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Located northwest of Cusco, Peru, Machu Picchu is a testament to the power and ingenuity of the Inca people.
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During its prime, the Inca civilization stretched about 2,500 miles along South America's Pacific coastline.
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From modern-day Ecuador down into Chile.
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This distance is nearly the horizontal width of the continental United States.
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Machu Picchu, located at the center of this once expansive empire, is one of the few well-preserved remnants of the Inca civilization.
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Built around the mid-15th century, Machu Picchu is a stunning example of the Inca's engineering feats.
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The Inca constructed Machu Picchu's palaces, temples, terraces, and infrastructure using stone, without the help of wheels or tools made of steel or iron.
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One particularly notable aspect of their construction is forgoing the use of mortar, a material often used to bind stones together.
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Nonetheless, the stones of Machu Picchu were cut so precisely that they snugly fit together.
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Located on two fault lines, Machu Picchu often experiences earthquakes, but because of the stones' exceptional cut and fit, they bounce during tremors and then are able to easily fall back into position.
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These engineering marvels have preserved Machu Picchu's remarkable condition for over 500 years.
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Machu Picchu's purpose is still a mystery to many archaeologists.
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Some theorize that it may have served as a ceremonial site, a military stronghold, or a retreat for nobility.
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The site's geographic layout may be significant in another way.
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Many of both the manmade and natural structures appear to align with astronomical events.
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But in the early 16th century, only about 100 years after it was built, Machu Picchu was abandoned.
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And since the Inca had no written language, no records exist to explain the exact purpose of the site.
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Although local communities knew about Machu Picchu, the site remained largely unknown to the outside world for hundreds of years.
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Spanish conquistadors who invaded the Inca civilization in the 16th century never came across the site.
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It wasn't until the early 20th century that Melchor Arteaga, a local farmer, revealed Machu Picchu to outsiders when he led Yale University professor Hiram Bingham to the site.
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Bingham and successive explorers devoted much of their academic careers to studying the archaeological wonder.
Topics:Machu PicchuInca civilizationPeruCuscoarchaeologyInca engineeringdry stone constructionHiram BinghamAndesancient ruins
