The Ultimate Guide to Machu Picchu
Annually, individuals from across the globe travel to Cusco, Peru, to watch the top seven wonders of the modern world, the famous Machu Picchu. There are some guidelines that travelers need to know. Here is a guide about some facts you need to know about this popular landmark on earth.
Machu Picchu History in Brief
On the top of the Machu Picchu mountain lies the famous and sacred religious landmark, Machu Picchu. It is said that this site is the seasonal retreat center for the Inca lineage (ruler and his family). In 1450 AD, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the ninth Inca ruler, erected this site. However, during the Spanish colonization, the site was abandoned for almost a century. Almost a thousand indigenes lived there, and the city was sectioned into urban areas and rural areas. The granite stones used for erecting the site were collected from the Urubamba river banks some kilometers away from Machu Picchu. Up till now, the way the was erected remains a mystery. Even the Spanish conquerors never found the site.
Definition of Machu Picchu
Pukina, an extinct language, was believed to be the original language of the Inca royalty. However, the language spoken by the people of Inca was Quechua, also known as Runa Simi – meaning people’s language. Also, the name Machu Picchu means old mountain in the Quechua language.
According to some records, Machu Picchu was not discovered by Bingham Hiram; people lived in that location before he found Vilcabamba, the lost city of Incas. Bingham is only credited for revealing the ruins of Incas to the scientific world.
When To Visit and Tickets
To safeguard and extend this site’s lifespan, UNESCO restricted the number of people to visit this site daily to 2500. Tickets to pay a visit to this area can be bought online from verified vendors. Machu Picchu starts receiving visitors from 6 am to 4 pm. If a visitor wants to avoid much crowd, it is advised that the visitor spend the night at Aguascalientes and to get an early bus to the mountain. Visitors can also check-in during festive periods, such as the Sun Festival of Inti Raymi in June.
How To Get To Machu Picchu
The easiest route to reach Machu Picchu is by train. Visitors can either travel by Peru rail or Inca rail. Trains should be booked immediately after buying tickets to Machu Picchu because they get filled on time. There are other cheaper means of getting to Machu Picchu. Private taxis and minibuses enroute Cusco to Ollantaytambo. Then from Ollantaytambo, one can pick a train ride to Aguascalientes, a town before Machu Picchu. From there, if you have the strength, you could do an Inca trail to Machu Picchu.
Conclusion
Conclusively, visitors to Machu Picchu could locate a group and then find a tour guide. For travelers to enjoy the adventure, it is best to find a tour guide who can inform you about some of the few signs you would meet along the way. Tour guides are always at the entrance waiting to guide travelers, to lessen the cost, it is advised to find a group and share the cost.
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