Machu Picchu is often described as “mysterious,” but in fact a great deal is known about its construction and purpose. It was built as a royal estate for the first Inka emperor, Pachacuti Inka Yupanqui, in the middle of the 15th century, on a mountain saddle overlooking the Urubamba River (in modern day Peru).
What is the math behind Machu Picchu?
The Inca kept records using a mathematical system of knots called a quipu. Using a base 10 system, they knotted strings to represent place values, similar to the numbers we use today. Strings of contrasting colors represented the objects being counted.
How many years did it take to build Machu Picchu?
Machu Picchu was built in 90 years, between the years 1450 and 1540. It's located on a crest of the Peruvian Andes by people that knew neither metal tools or the wheel. The buildings were given walls of drastically different sizes, each made up of stones that had been stacked with impeccable accuracy.
Is Machu Picchu on a fault line?
Both satellite images and recent field work reveal that the ground beneath Machu Picchu is crisscrossed with fault zones of various sizes, some of which control the orientation of river valleys in the region by providing weak zones that are more easily eroded by flowing water.
Why was Machu Picchu built on faults?
What are the two fault lines in Machu Picchu?
Machu Picchu sits above a spot where two important fault systems cross each other, one running from northeast to southwest and another running from northwest to southeast. Even single buildings and temples in the citadel follow the course of the faults.
What is the real mystery around Machu Picchu?
The Machu Picchu site had to be sculpted in its entirety. The citadel is located in the middle of a fault, so the Incas had to move stone and earth to create this relatively flat place. But one of the most impressive mysteries of Machu Picchu is that the real construction was made underground.
Why did Incas build on fault lines?
Besides allowing the Inca to more easily find and fit stones together without mortar, the faults provided other advantages. The fault lines running through the site probably directed melting snow and rainwater to the high-altitude outpost providing water.
Why has Machu Picchu not fallen due to earthquakes?
Over 500 years ago, when Incan workers built Machu Picchu, they devised an ingenious building technique to prevent building collapse during Peru's frequent earthquakes. It worked a little like an ancient form of Legos: Every stone fit together perfectly without any mortar.