Location
Machu
Picchu is a famous urban center located within the limits
of the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu, created under Government’s
Decree No. 001-81AA on January 8, 1981 given by the President
Architect Fernando Belaunde Terry. The Sanctuary has 32,592
hectares and is located at the department of Cusco, Peru.
From the geological point of view, Macchu Picchu lies on top
of a great granitic batolite at Vilcabamba. The urban center
lies on an igneous, intrusive mass that according to Egeer
and De Booy has a paleozoic age. For this reason granite was
used as the main source for building, long before the Spaniards
arrived.
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Weather
and Flora
The weather is dry and cool in June, warm
in July and August (winter), and humid between January and March
(summer) with an average rainfall of 347.9 mm during summer and
33.8 mm during winter. This weather is propitious for corn production..
There are natural forests, trees, lichens, mosses and ferns. Also
a great variety of multicolored flowers and more than 50 kinds
of orchids.
Fauna
It has a diverse
fauna, from squirrels (Sciurus spp) to bears that appear to wear
eyeglasses (Tremarctos ornatus), snakes (Bothropos andianus) and
birds.
Discovery
This archeological
monument was discovered by Hiram Bingham on July 24, 1911. Bingham
was an American Historian and Diplomat who was led by a native
boy. Between 1911 and 1915 the scientific team of Bingham carried
on diverse work such as the archeological findings made by George
Eaton of several tombs.
Tucker and Mathewson
findings in Metallurgy, and Paul Fejos who published on 1944 the
results of his exploration in the area, mainly of the Inca Trail.
Architecture
The urban center
of Machupicchu is divided in two sections. The Urban area, made
up of 5 compounds. The first one, called the Main Entrance, where
we can observe 5 distinct compounds in the southern part and 22
sites in the northern part, divided by the main road to the city.
One can also observe, warehouses, living quarters and workshops.
In the second compound called Sunturhuasi you can see 9 sites
and 3 courtyards. Here we can see a semicircular site finely polished
with a decorated window facing the northern side. In the bottom
part there is a small underground alcove known as the Royal Tomb.
In the northwestern section, you can see a series of 17 springs,
real masterpieces, beautifully built, arranged on a rocky surface,
in consecutive order that permits an harmonious flow of water
to the lower section. The compound number 3, known as the royal
housing has 12 compounds with rectangular floors, 2 courtyards
for the llamas and gardens. Also, we can see a warehouse and a
small room probably used by the sentry.. This is the only compound
with water and with royal markings on the lintels. The compound
number 4, was used for the temples with 4 sites that have rectangular
floors around a courtyard. At the western side, a curved wall,
similar to the one seen at the Koricancha temple in Cusco. The
huayrana (located at the windy section) has 3 walls with three
windows each with 2 trapezoidal niches. There is also an open
temple facing the North, with a stone altar. In the exterior wall
there is a rock with snakes in bass relief. At this place, Eaton
found pottery and other finely polished stone objects.
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compound number 5 or the Intiwatana was built atop a rocky
hill that shadows the compound of the temples, and in the
Northeast, we can see a huge plaza, part of the urban section.
At the top of the hill, we can see three sites with walls,
and in the middle a carved rock with a four-sided shape, that
according to Reinhard was used for some astronomy functions.
The Intihuatana is not a solar clock, as believed by many,
but a ceremonial and astronomy center. |
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The Urban section has 13 compounds. The
number 6 has a Sacred Rock that delimits the northern border of
the urban section, where the Inca’s road began towards the
Huayna Picchu mountain and the temple of the Moon. It has two
sites with 3 walls forming a courtyard and a rock facing Northeast
set with polished stones that reproduce the profiles of the mountains.
Many of the rocks represent sacred places. In the southern part
and at a short distance we find a glyph marked with a central
spot from which alternate short and long lines irradiate. The
compound 7 has three sites around a central courtyard all fenced
making it look like housing- and related to the complex 8, that
has a central courtyard with an open site and a closed site similar
to a workshop. The complex 8 is the most symmetrical with 18 sites
from which only 2 are outside the compound with the rest located
inside. The rooms are harmoniously combined around 3 courtyards,
the sites are big and rectangular in shape with doors of two jambs.
They seem to have functioned as workshops.
The compound number 10 is a huge site with 10 doors, and more
sites at the lower level. The complex 11, has 6 sites with two
doors each.. Compounds 10 and 11 are joined by a finely polished
stair and a path that leads to six groups of terraces used for
agricultural purposes in the NW section of the city.
Compound 12 has 8 small sites that according to their distribution
could have been used for worship. Compound 14 is a complement
of 15 and 16, located nearby. It has 3 sites some with two and
three doors, and a yard. The compound 15 was built on a rocky
and elevated area. It is considered a sacred place, with 4 sites
and small fenced lots. This sacred place must have been of great
importance in the area for its location and its architecture.
The compound 16 has
9 sites that feature a double huayrana and a small temple. This
compound is fenced and its only access was through a door of two
jambs, a sign of social status.
The
compound 17 called "Of the Condor" is a group of
associated sites amazingly complicated. It has several levels
and caves. This compound has 29 sites, each one more outstanding
than the others. It was built in a semicircular shape with
3 ceremonial niches, 3 underground alcoves. The stone sculpture
depicting the head of a condor is at an even surface and a
water spring is also part of this compound. The hypothesis
that it functioned as a jail can be discarded, considering
that its function was more complicated and related to the
stone sculpture.
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Finally the compound 18, one of the biggest in Machu Picchu, subdivided
in two. One toward the south with 8 sites and the other one towards
the North with 9 sites. Some of these sites have two deteriorated
floors.
The
agricultural section is subdivided in two parts, one on a
high ground, the other on a low.ground. It has several terraces
with a waterway system of channels and a drain system. In
the western section there are 5 sites that seem to have been
warehouses.
Water was provided to the city through a water channel located
at the base of the Intipunku (the door of the sun) that flowed
throughout the terraces and to 17 other waterways that served
the city.
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The main Road (Hatun Ñan) that joins Cusco
and Machu Picchu, starts from the south. Joining previously other
compounds such as Huayllabamba, Runkuraqay, Sayaqmarka, Phuyupatamarka,
Wiñay Wayna, Intipunku and Machupicchu. Inside the city we can
observe three longitudinal roads and two transversal. So, the
compounds were connected in a controlled way. In the NW border
of the city, Eaton and Bingham found and excavated more than 107
funeral findings most of them found in caves. Most of the mummies
were women in a sitting position. There were also found pots,
plates, ewers, pins made of silver and bronze, knives, pendants,
brass mirrors, textiles, carved bones and stone mills.
Antiquity
According to radio
carbon tests, the city of Machu Picchu has a chronological date
about 1450 A.D. There is however the possibility of former occupation,
pre-Inca . According to chronological studies it is proven that
it was occupied by the inca people. Studies made of the strata
concludes that the construction of this city was carried out through
an extraordinary building of terraces, andenes and walls. A coat
of hard finish was applied to the stones. Roofs were made of wood
covered with finely braided straw.
According to historic information written by John H. Rowe, his
published articles say that the city was built during the reign
of Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui.
Importance
of the Sanctuary
Several roads start out from Machu Picchu
towards the four regions of the Inca Empire or Tawantinsuyo. With
other secondary roads joining other important areas.
Some terraces and andenes built for agricultural purposes have
been found at the NW border. These andenes have their own water
springs.
The function or purpose of this marvelous archeological monument
is complex. It was an important urban center, subordinated to
the capital of the Empire, Qosqo. The Spaniards never knew of
its existence and the city lay there, a well guarded secret until
its discovery.
People who built the city were specialists. It was also a religious
center because of the temples and graves built there. It was also
a strategic center with natural defense, with heavy stone ramparts,
almost inexpugnable. The city rises above the jungle region.
Nowadays, the city of Machu Picchu is visited by tourists from
all over the world.
Alfredo Valencia
Zegarra
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