Machu Picchu

Location: Andes Mountain, Peru. The city has an altitude of 8,000 feet and is high above the Urubamba River canyon cloud forest.

Brief History:
Machu Picchu (which means "manly peak") was most likely a royal estate and religious retreat. It was built by an Inca ruler Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui. The Inca were warriors with a strong and powerful army. Because of the fierceness of their army and their hierarchical organization, they became the largest Native American society. The height of their reign in the 15th century came to a brutal end in 1535 when the Spanish conquistadors took over their territory.The Incas had an army which consisted of 40,000 people. The Spanish army in the Americas had only 180 people. How could an Army of only 180 defeat an army of 40,000 men? There are three main reasons for this.
1) Much of the Incan army died as a result of smallpox, which was carried to them via the Spanish Conquistadors.
2) The Spanish Conquistadors were able to convince other tribes, already under Incan rule, to side with them and over throw the Incan Empire.
3) The weapons used by Incan warriors ,though effective in tribal warfare, were no match for the Spanish arms.
Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham.

Built in: 1460 and 1470 AD

The Amazing Facts:
Machu Picchu is comprised of approximately 200 buildings, most being residences, although there are temples, storage structures and other public buildings. It has polygonal masonry, characteristic of the late Inca period. Their cities and fortresses were mostly built on highlands and on the steep slopes of the Andes Mountains (See pic above). The architecture of the Inca cities still amazes and puzzles most scientists. Stone steps lead up to the top of the cities, which consist of stone houses and religious buildings. The blocks of stones weigh several tons and they are fit together so tightly that not even a razor blade can fit through them. The most famous of the buildings include The Citadel, The Great Central Temple, The Temple of the Three Windows, The Temple of the Moon