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The ancient city of Machu Picchu was discovered
in 1911. Archaeologists were so excited about finding the ruins
of this city. Some believe it was a country estate. Some believe it
was a religious retreat. Some believe it was a city high in the Andes
mountains that was somehow overlooked by the Spanish. It was quite a
find!
Explorers found ruins of temples, palaces,
fortresses, and a royal tomb. They found remains of the stone
aqueducts that brought water into the city from over a mile away. They
found remains of terrace gardens, and homes for farmers, nobles, and
priests. They found wonderful pottery.
They also found an Intihuatana. This was an
exciting discovery. An Intihuatana was the ceremonial pyramid the
Incas built to speak to their sun god.
Once, there were intihuatanas all over the Incan
empire. But Machu Picchu is the only place one of these has been found
intact. The rest were destroyed by the Spanish invaders. The carved
rock at the top was used by Incan astronomers to predict the best
times to plant crops. In Machu Picchu, the Intihuatana was angled and
built so that people in the palace had ring side seats - from the
palace, it would have been easy to see the ceremonies conducted on the
very top of the Intihuatana.
Intihuatana
It has been nearly 100 years since Machu Picchu
was first rediscovered. Today, Machu Picchu is still Peru's top
tourist attraction. If you ever travel to Peru, we highly recommend
you include a visit to the fabulous forgotten city of the incredible
Incas, Machu Picchu. Bring your hiking boots. It's quite a walk!
The
Interactive Inca Trail
Incas
for Kids
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