A little more on Machu Picchu

High in the Andes, surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery, lay the ruins of the Incan city, Machu Picchu. Situated 2000 ft above the Urubamba River, the site was built around 1460-70 and believed to house up to 1200 people. It is an important archaeological site today because it laid undisturbed until it was rediscovered in 1911. Almost all of the Incan ruins were destroyed by the Spanish 400 years ago, making this the best-preserved Incan ruin in the world.

Undiscovered by the Spanish there are still many unanswered questions about this site. While archaeologists generally agree it was built as a royal estate or retreat, there is still much to learn about what happened to its inhabitants, who disappeared without a trace 100 years later. Its this mixture of beauty, archaeological significance and mystery that make Machu Picchu one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.