Where is it?

Before you go
Weather:
There are two main seasons in Peru: the
rainy season and the dry season. The rainy
season runs between October and April,
with the dry season usually running
between May and September.
Temperatures during the dry season run
from around 50 F at night to the upper 80s
F during the day. It can get quite hot in
Machu Picchu, and at its elevation, the sun
is strong!

Machu Picchu was built on a plateau that

emerged halfway out of a mountain. The
terrain is undulating and abrupt. It
featured many housing units scattered all
over the site at different altitudes,
separated by precipices and linked by
dangerously steep paths.
It is most beautiful and impressive
ancient Inca ruins in the world. Machu
Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by
Hawaiian historian Hiram after it lay
hidden for centuries above the
Urubamba Valley. It is invisible from
below and completely self-contained,
surrounded by agricultural terraces and
watered by natural springs.

Five Interesting Facts:

The Incas performed successful skull
surgeries.
The Incas created a highway and road
system in Peru with over 18,000 miles of
roads.
The Incas were the first to cultivate the
potato in Peru.
The Incas believed in reincarnation.
Did you know that one study found no sign
of deficiency or malnutrition in Inca
corpses?

AMES Travel
Machu Picchu

How on earth did

they do that?

Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Empire
http://incas.mrdonn.org
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plai
ntexthistories.asp?historyid=ac84
http://www.peru-machupicchu.com/history.php

By: Joshua Nguyen

The Incas

History
The Inca Empire started as a small
tribe who lived in the village of Cuzco,
high in the Andes Mountains of South
America. One day, a tribe conquered
them. Lead by Pachacuti, the Kings
son, the Incas won. That was the
beginning of the Inca Empire.
Food and Argriculture
The Incas grew corn, potatoes, and
quinoa. The Inca grew more food than
they needed. Stored food was dried
and kept. The Inca invented terrace
farming. They lived in the mountains.
Flatlands were rare. So, they simply
created flat land by building steps of
land for agriculture down the
mountainside.

Clothing
Clothing was an important aspect in
Inca society. Just looking at the dress
of a person, status of that person in
that society can be readily perceived.
Inca and Nobles always wore gold
jewelry.
Religious Beliefs
Inca believed in many gods. They
worshiped many deities and sacred
places. Viracocha was the creator of
the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. They
believed Sun was the most important
servant of Viracocha. To the Inca, Sun
was the life saver. Sun was the father
of Inca emperor.
Artifacts
The Incas were fascinated by gold and
had many of their objects made from

gold such as masks, sculptures, figurines,

pots, etc. The Inca preferred simple
functionality over ornate decoration in all
cases except for their textiles Rather than
create aesthetic paintings, the Inca
preferred to sculpt religious figurines and
create architectural wonders like Machu
Picchu.
School
The nobles had a chance to go to
secondary school and then college. The
common people almost never had the
chance, instead they were laborers.
Language
Quechua was the language of the Inca
empire. They had no writing system.
Architecture
The Incas were wonderful builders. They
designed their cities to blend with the
landscape around them. They built to last.
The cities were safe. Cities were built
around a central plaza.