Machu Picchu actually sits at a lower altitude than the city of Cusco and therefore has a warmer and wetter climate.Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa from 1503-1506, which coincides with the height of the Inca Empire.As a system of terraces were used to prevent landslides, the Inca people also carved over 100 sets of stairs out of rock in order to traverse the multi-leveled terrain.
If you are really keen on getting that stamp, bring along an expired passport if you have one lying around! While this is a unique souvenir from an iconic destination, having your passport stamped by a non-government entity isn’t recommended. The site is made almost completely out of granite. Since Hiram Bingham discovered it, Machu Picchu has become a huge tourist destination. It was abandoned in 1572, at the time of the Spanish Conquest, but wasnt found by the outside world until 1911. As a visitor to Machu Picchu, you can have your passport stamped at the entrance. Machu Picchu was built in 1450, believed to have been an estate for the Inca Emperor Pachacuti.Machu Picchu comprises over 150 buildings of various sizes and purposes, ranging from temples to houses and baths.While the Inca people knew of the wheel (as seen from their toys), it is presumed that they did not employ them in the building of Machu Picchu, meaning that the workers would have had to push the giant stones up the mountainside!.Machu Picchu was used as an astronomical observatory, utilizing the Intihuatana Stone to highlight the two equinoxes.Some porters along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu will sleep with mirrors or shiny metal objects to ward away spirits that try to pull them off the mountain!.Although the stone walls would have looked similar to how they do today, they would likely have been thatched with grass or straw. 500 years ago, Machu Picchu would have been a bustling mountaintop city of roughly 750 inhabitants.Machu Picchu hosts over 500,000 visitors every year.Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and UNESCO World. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Hike along the Inca Trail in Street View to discover Machu Picchu.