Site Conservation Mhu Pichu and The Inca People Discussion

Mhu Pichu and The Inca People

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Corina Vasiloiu posted Jul 22, 2020 1:38 PM

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Hi,

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Machu Picchu was a 15th century citadel inhabited by the Incas. Originally a small tribe in the highlands of Peru, the Incas succeeded in building  one of the tightest empires ever controlled on the roughest terrain in South America, dry desert and jagged peaks. Machu Picchu is now believed to have been the home of Inca royalty and nobility and was completely wiped out by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16ht century, although the conquerors never reach it’s peaks, but around that time population declined and  eventually disappeared completely.

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The capital of the Empire was Cuzco and the emperor was “the Son of the Sun” ruling by divine right and marrying his sister. The basic unit of social organization were the villages, where people farmed or took care of llamas. Each neighborhood had a mummy, supposedly from the common ancestor of those people. They developed accurate calendars by observing the sun and the moon and are known for weaving, road construction and stone masonry. Their road systems spread for miles and had posts all along for runners to rest. It is said that a package or a message could travel 150 miles in a day, that way the emperor had fresh fish from the sea.

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Quechua, the language of the Incas, is still widely spoken in Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina.

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Machu Picchu is located on a 8000ft high mountain ridge in the south of Peru, was built around 1450, in the classic Inca style of polished dry-stone walls, and abandoned less than 100 years later. Some of the buildings were reconstructed to give tourists an idea. Archaeologists have identified several distinct areas like farming, residential, royal and sacred sectors, their over 200 structures, walls, terraces and ramps blending seamlessly into the tropical forest. It was discovered by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham in the summer of 1911. The most famous structure of the site is The Temple of the Son, with evidence showing architectural principles that understand profoundly the astronomical movements. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983 and was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

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In the 16th century, following the fall of the last Inca capital, the city of Machu Picchu fell into ruins as well. The collapse started with the arrival of the Spanish in Central America and their spread of diseases that the natives were not ready for. It is speculated that in only 10 years between 50% and 90% of the population was affected by either smallpox, chicken pox or typhus. With the working class affected, the backbone of the empire got weak and so the administrative sector followed shortly; tensions escalated over resources and power and civil wars erupted that further damaged the areas.

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What is wise for us to learn from the Incas is that a human group can be wiped rapidly by a disease if the immune system didn’t have time to catch up. That perspective is very scary, especially in our days, when the first half of 2020 brought a  pandemic SF scenario to reality, but our knowledge of what happened to our ancestors could offer us a good insight and possible solutions. Like better plans and strategies for massive food shortages and sickness, and also maybe changing our cultural ideas of marrying within our countries and ethnicity and strengthen our DNA by encouraging multiracial marriages and babies.

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Thank you

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Corina.

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References:

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 Cardona, B. (2017).Uncovering the Mystery of Machu Picchu. Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research. Retrieved on July 22nd, 2020 from 

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https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=bjur

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Bierhorst, J. (August 22, 2020). The Mythology of South America. Oxford University Press. Retrieved on July 22nd, 2020 from

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http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/globaltrek/destinations/popups/peru_history.htm#:~:text=The%20Incas%2C%20an%20American%20Indian,by%20their%20feats%20of%20engineering.

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History.com editors, (August 21, 2018). Machu Picchu. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved on July 22nd 2020 from

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https://www.history.com/topics/south-america/machu-picchu#:~:text=famous%20manmade%20wonders.-,Machu%20Picchu%27s%20Inca%20Past,the%2015th%20and%2016th%20centuries.&text=Many%20modern%2Dday%20archaeologists%20now,for%20Inca%20emperors%20and%20nobles.