Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, or Old Peak in the Quechua language, also known as the Lost City of the Incas, is a self-contained, five-square-mile city built by the Incas and located 50 miles from present-day Cuzco, Peru.

The city was constructed on a strategically-located mountain ridge almost 8,000 feet above sea level in the mid-1400’s but was abandoned before the mid-1500’s. This is believed to be due to a smallpox epidemic.

Machu Picchu was composed of 140 structures and has three main areas: the Sacred District, the Popular Residential District, and the Nobility District. The structures were made of dry-stone walls and include temples and houses. The city’s irrigation system provided water to each house. In addition, the city included parks, sanctuaries, and terraced hillsides used for farmland.

List of the new seven wonders of the world:

1. Great Wall of China
2. Petra
3. Statue of Christ the Redeemer
4. Chichen Itza
5. Colosseum
6. Taj Mahal

Return to new seven wonders of the world list

Popular Pages: