We recently talked about how the local government in Venice has taken a series of measures to protect St. Mark's Square from mass tourism as of 2018 and it seems that their example will be followed in other parts of the world such as Machu. Picchu in Peru.
And it is that the most famous Inca citadel is on the edge of collapse because of the huge queues to get on and off, to buy tickets or simply to go to the toilet. The large influx of tourists who visit Machu Picchu daily has caused the authorities to increase the restrictions to access the place.
These measures were adopted after UNESCO warned to inscribe Machu Picchu on the world list of heritage in danger if measures were not taken. What are they about?
Why were these steps taken?
In 1983 Machu Picchu was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. In those early years, the Inca citadel welcomed just over one hundred thousand visitors a year. But everything changed in 2007 when it was recognized as one of the New 7 Wonders of the Modern World by the Swiss company New Open World Corporation. Eight hundred thousand tickets were sold that year and everything accelerated until last year when it received 1.419.507 visitors. A spectacular increase in visits difficult to digest.
Unesco gave the Peruvian government a period of two years to improve the conservation management of the city or else it would include Machu Picchu on the world list of Heritage sites at risk. Before that tie ended, and to the joy of all, the measures presented were sufficient in the eyes of the Committee not to include the monument on that list.
These are the new rules that came into effect on July 1 and include:
- It is prohibited to enter Machu Picchu without a guide.
- Each guide can take a maximum of 16 people.
- Two visiting hours are established. A first group from 6 in the morning to 12 noon and a second group from 12 noon to 17:30 p.m.
- The ticket gives the right to stay only four hours inside the site. At that time you can only leave and re-access once to go to the services.
- It is essential to obtain the entrance to Machu Picchu in advance of the visit through the official website.
- Free admission for the citizens of Cuzco is reduced only to Sundays.
- Access to Machu Picchu with selfie sticks, umbrellas, musical instruments, baby strollers, animals and food and drinks is not allowed.
What is Machu Picchu?
It is an Inca city whose name means old mountain and takes it from the location in which it is located. The architectural complex surrounded by water channels, platforms and temples is believed to have been built in the XNUMXth century by the Inca Pachacutec. In its time it was an important administrative, religious and political center. Today its ruins are considered as Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.
Where is it located?
Located 112 kilometers northwest of Cuzco, in the province of Urubamba, the citadel is surrounded by water channels, temples and platforms.
Architecture and History
Machu Picchu is divided into two sectors: the agricultural one that comprises the network of platforms or artificial terraces and the urban one that fulfilled administrative functions and was made up of squares and buildings such as the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Main Temple and the Condor Sector.
These constructions have the classic Inca style: trapezoidal doors and windows or stone walls with a rectangular shape joined without the use of amalgams.
Its constructions follow the classic Inca style: buildings with polished stone walls in a rectangular shape, joined together without the use of amalgams, trapezoidal doors and windows. Its majestic architecture comprises some 140 structures throughout the citadel.
Machu Picchu was discovered thanks to the researcher Hiram Bingham III who was looking for the last capital of the Incas Vilcabamba. Years later the set would be declared "Historic Sanctuary of Peru" in 1981.
How to get to Machu Picchu?
To get to Machu Picchu you can choose two routes: via the Inca trail or by railroad to Aguas Calientes and from there taking a car or walking until you reach the mountain where the citadel is located.