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Machu Picchu
No one really knows why Machu Picchu was built. It is set in a very remote location, and isnt likely to have played a major role in the Inca empire. It is thought that construction of the city was ordered by Pachacuti Inca, as a royal retreat or as a religious estate, around the year 1460. Its existence is thought to have been kept secret. It is likely that the estate passed into the hands of Pachacutis most trusted family members after his death, and that Machu Picchu was occasionally visited by other Inca rulers up until the Spanish conquest. With the exception of those living in the city, very few other people would have known of is existence since travel within the Inca empire was restricted without official permission.
When Manco Tupac (also called Manco Inca) began his war against the Spaniards in 1536, a few people may have remembered the city and it is possible that Machu Picchu was used as a hide-out for Mancos army. He and his army operated from many mountain hide-outs in and around the area. But despite Mancos brave efforts, the Spanish onslaught was too much, and Mancos army was driven back into the jungle to another place called Vilcabamba. This was the last Inca stronghold. Since then, the ancient city of Machu Picchu was left uninhabited and forgotten. Without people living there and maintaining the fields, the surrounding jungle closed in and covered over the city leaving it well hidden for the centuries to come.
There are reports of other exciting discoveries in the jungles nearby including a second city (called Maranpampa) which was discovered in 1986. Archaeologists are currently working on this city and believe that it may be even bigger than Machu Picchu. |