Past: Machu Picchu (c. 1450 CE)
High in the Peruvian Anders lies the ruins of a great Inca citadel Machu Picchu. Historians debate the original role of this city, whether it was a royal retreat, or just a community taking advantage of the high elevation for protection, but its legacy persists. The traces of those who lived and worked in the community flank the mountainside. The stepped terraces once used for farming are holding fast, even 450+ years after its occupants abandoned the site. The canals were cleared out and are still capable of providing fresh water to the site. The masonry walls of storehouses (colca), houses and administrative buildings (kancha), and religious buildings remain, showing the astonishing Inca stonework. The stones, some as large as (or even bigger than) the average human, are cut into multi-sided, squared off blocks that somehow fit together in a puzzle-like format, locking together for strength without using mortar.
