What is Machu Picchu?
Q: What is Machu Picchu?
A: Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site in Peru, in South America. The Incas built the city on a mountain ridge, 2430m above sea level.
Q: When did the Incas live at Machu Picchu?
A: The Incas lived at Machu Picchu between 1200 and 1450 AD. Other people lived there before about 650 AD.
Q: How did the Incas build houses, fields and temples?
A: The Incas built houses, fields and temples by cutting the rock on the mountain so it was flat. They also built an observatory to look at the stars.
Q: Why did the Incas leave Machu Picchu?
A: It is not known for sure why they left Machu Picchu but some think it was because of diseases from Europe brought by Spanish invaders.
Q: Who rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911?
A: A Yale graduate named Hiram Bingham rediscovered it in 1911 after hearing rumours of a hidden city which were already known to native Peruvians who guided him there. He led a restoration project that was partly funded by the National Geographic Society.
Q: When was Machu Picchu declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
A: In 1983, Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Q: How can tourists visit today?
A: Today, there is a new road so that tourists can visit as well as walking along the Inca Trail or taking a train from Cusco
