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Interesting Facts about Peruvian Amazon Region and Machu Picchu

With its diverse land and rich culture, Peru is the perfect country for an explorer, but when someone talks about Peru- the first thing that comes to mind is Machu Picchu and the Amazon forest. These two places are the most visited in Peru.

Before you book any of the Amazon and Machu Picchu Tour packages, here are some amazing interesting facts about these places:

Amazon

The Amazon is the largest rainforest on Earth, which stretches across nine countries in South America. The Peruvian part of the Amazon rainforest is probably the most diverse and prolific section of all. You can witness the widest variety of flora and fauna here. Peruvian region of the Amazon River and rainforest system is the most untouched and is known as the birthplace of the Amazon River.

Amazonas-Iquitos
Amazonas-Iquitos

Machu Picchu

Set atop the Andes Mountains, Machu Picchu is one of the new 7 Wonders of the World and is also one of the most traveled places not only in Peru but in the world as well. Machu Picchu is translated to “Old Mountain” or “Old Peak.” in the Quechua language. Machu Picchu covers an area of more than 320 square kilometers.

Facts about Machu Picchu

  1. Machu Picchu is a 15th Century Inca site, located in the Cusco Region. The Inca Empire, the largest empire in pre-Columbian Americans, built the estate in around 1450 but abandoned it a century later after the Spanish Conquest. Though most of the archaeologists believed that it was built for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438-1472).
  2. Machu Picchu, although known to locals, was unknown to outsiders until 1911, when it was brought to international attention by archaeologist Hiram Bingham. In 1983, Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO world heritage site, and, in 2007, it was named one of the new 7 Wonders of the World.
  3. Even after the Spanish Conquest in the 1500s, the Spanish never found the site of Machu Picchu and due to this belief Machu Picchu is often mistakenly referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas.”
  4. To construct Machu Picchu, granite rocks of heavyweight over 55 tons were used. Machu Picchu was constructed with a technique called “Ashlar” that involves stones being perfectly shaped so that mortar is not needed.
  5. Machu Picchu is one of the most famous sites in South America and Peru’s most visited attraction. Therefore, there’s a no-fly zone above the site.
  6. Peru is prone to earthquakes and Machu Picchu sits on top of two fault lines. However, its intelligent design allows the stone to bounce through tremors before it safely falls back into its place. It is believed that, without the “Ashlar” technique, the site would have collapsed a long time ago.
  7. More than 150 buildings make up Machu Picchu and these buildings range from temples, sanctuaries to baths and houses.  Archaeologists identified 3 main structures- the Temple of the Sun, the Room of the Three Windows, and the Intihuatana, which is a stone created by the Incas to be used as either a calendar or an astronomical clock.

Both Machu Picchu and Amazon are undoubtedly popular destinations in South America. Facebook.