Often known as the Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu is believed to have been a secret retreat for Incan nobility, a place that was sacred, where the surrounding natural features of the mountain behind Machu Picchu reminded them of an Incan looking to the heavens.
Unique amongst Inca cities, Machu Picchu was spared destruction at the hands of the Spanish conquistadors by virtue of its remoteness and the secrecy surrounding its existence. Sadly the Inca empire was destroyed and Machu Picchu abandoned.
The city was built from 1460 onwards, and is situated above the Urubamba river at 2,350 meters above sea level. It contains over 300 houses, temples, and storage rooms. At its peak over 1,200 people inhabited Machu Picchu, mostly priests, women and children, along with a small unit of guards for protection.
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