In Machu Picchu it is possible to distinguish two different zones: the agricultural zone that contains a vast network of terraces, the urban zone, divided in a sacred zone temples, monuments, funerary chambers and the civil zone rooms, diverse precincts and storage rooms. As centuries went by the original name of the ruins fell into oblivion.
Ever since its discovery in , Machu Picchu has been a true and insoluble archaeological enigma. Even nowadays scholars are intrigued by its history and function, and it is possible that these mysteries will never be totally unraveled. Aside from the obvious aesthetic benefits of this building style, there are engineering advantages. Peru is a seismically unstable country—both Lima and Cusco have been leveled by earthquakes—and Machu Picchu itself was constructed atop two fault lines.
Without this building method, many of the best known buildings at Machu Picchu would have collapsed long ago. While the Inca are best remembered for their beautiful walls, their civil engineering projects were incredibly advanced as well. Especially, as is often noted, for a culture that used no draft animals, iron tools, or wheels. The site we see today had to be sculpted out of a notch between two small peaks by moving stone and earth to create a relatively flat space.
The engineer Kenneth Wright has estimated that 60 percent of the construction done at Machu Picchu was underground. Much of that consists of deep building foundations and crushed rock used as drainage. A trip to Machu Picchu is many things, but cheap is not one of them. The climb is strenuous and takes about 90 minutes. For visitors conditioned to the explanatory signs at national parks, one of the strangest things about Machu Picchu is that the site provides virtually no information about the ruins.
This lack does have one advantage—the ruins remain uncluttered. First you have to find the museum, though. Long before dawn, visitors eagerly queue up outside the bus depot in Aguas Calientes, hoping to be one of the first persons to enter the site.
Because only people are permitted to climb Huayna Picchu daily the small green peak, shaped like a rhino horn, that appears in the background of many photos of Machu Picchu. Almost no one bothers to ascend the pinnacle that anchors the opposite end of the site, which is usually called Machu Picchu Mountain.
At 1, feet it is twice as tall, and the views it offers of the area surrounding the ruins—especially the white Urubamba River winding around Machu Picchu like a coiled snake—are spectacular. Take the time to follow the hair-raising trail to the Temple of the Moon, located on the far side of Huayna Picchu.
Here, a ceremonial shrine of sorts has been built into a cave lined with exquisite stonework and niches that were once probably used to hold mummies. Where do they go? Who knows. Because the cloud forest grows over quickly in the area surrounding Machu Picchu, there may be unknown trails and ruins yet to be found nearby.
Several newly refurbished sets of terraces were made available to the public for the first time in An arrow-shaped stone atop the peak of Huayna Picchu appears to point due south, directly through the famous Intihuatana Stone, to Mount Salcantay, one of the most revered apus in Inca cosmology. On important days of the Inca calendar, the sun can be seen to rise or set behind other significant peaks. The rugged topography making some areas difficult to access has resulted in a mosaic of used areas and diverse natural habitats.
Despite its small size the property contributes to conserving a very rich habitat and species diversity with remarkable endemic and relict flora and fauna. Criterion i : The Inca City of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is the articulating centre of its surroundings, a masterpiece of art, urbanism, architecture and engineering of the Inca Civilization. The working of the mountain, at the foot of the Huaya Picchu, is the exceptional result of integration with its environment, the result from a gigantic effort as if it were an extension of nature.
Criterion iii : The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is a unique testimony of the Inca Civilization and shows a well-planned distribution of functions within space, territory control, and social, productive, religious and administrative organization. Criterion vii : The historic monuments and features in the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu are embedded within a dramatic mountain landscape of exceptional scenic and geomorphological beauty thereby providing an outstanding example of a longstanding harmonious and aesthetically stunning relationship between human culture and nature.
Criterion ix : Covering part of the transition between the High Andes and the Amazon Basin the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu shelters a remarkably diverse array of microclimates, habitats and species of flora and fauna with a high degree of endemism.
The property is part of a larger area unanimously considered of global significance for biodiversity conservation. The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu meets the conditions of integrity, as the natural and human-made attributes and values that sustain its Outstanding Universal value are mostly contained within its boundaries.
The visual ensemble linking the main archaeological site of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu with its striking mountain environment remains mostly intact. It is desirable to extend the property to encompass an even broader spectrum of human-land relationships, additional cultural sites, such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, and a larger part of the Urubamba watershed would contribute to strengthening the overall integrity.
In particular, the value for the conservation of the many rare and endemic species of flora and fauna would benefit from the inclusion or a stronger management consideration of the adjacent lands.
A considerable number of well-documented threats render the property vulnerable to losing its future integrity and will require permanent management attention. Upon the abandonment of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu at the beginning of the sixteenth century, vegetation growth and isolation ensured the conservation of the architectural attributes of the property.
Although the design, materials and structures have suffered slight changes due to the decay of the fabric, the conditions of authenticity have not changed.
The rediscovery in , and subsequent archaeological excavations and conservation interventions have followed practices and international standards that have maintained the attributes of the property. The boundaries of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu are clearly defined and the protected area is surrounded by a buffer zone exceeding the size of the property. The Management Unit of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu UGM was established in to lead the strategies contained in the Master Plans, which are the regularly updated governing documents for the management of the property.
Notwithstanding the adequate legislative and formal management framework, there are important challenges to the inter-institutional governance and the effectiveness of management and protection of the property. The dispersed legislation would benefit from further harmonization and despite existing efforts the involvement of various ministries and governmental levels ranging from local to national remains a complex task, including in light of the sharing of the significant tourism revenues.
Tourism itself represents a double-edged sword by providing economic benefits but also by resulting in major cultural and ecological impacts. The strongly increasing number of visitors to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu must be matched by an adequate management regulating access, diversifying the offer and efforts to fully understand and minimize impacts.
A larger appropriate and increasing share of the significant tourism revenues could be re-invested in planning and management.
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