What do you know about Machu Picchu?

1. In what modern-day country is Machu Picchu located? Peru. It is situated about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of the town of Cusco. Cusco was the old imperial Inca capital, which was both the administrative and the religious center of the empire. 2. In what mountain range is Machu Picchu located? Andes. One stone used in the town's construction is estimated to weigh 300 tons. Archaeologists are unsure how it was moved in place at the top of a mountain. 3. About how many feet above sea level is the town located? (Hint: It is almost twice as high up as Denver, Colorado, in the U.S.) 9,000 feet.

4. In addition to its terraces, what architectural feature is Machu Picchu widely known for? Precision stonework, with no mortar between stone joints. Many stones are so precisely fitted a standard playing card cannot be inserted between adjacent stones, even though there is no mortar in the joints. What is even more impressive is that all this precision finish work was done with stone tools. 5. Approximately how large is the village? (Hint: There are approximately 200 residences in the village.) 5 square miles. Most of Machu Picchu's approximately 200 residences were probably homes for wealthy Inca nobility. The village walls were made with an inward inclination for protection against earthquakes.

6. What civilization is thought to have built Machu Picchu? Incan. The Incas were a highly-organized, pre-Columbian civilization. 7. When the Spaniards invaded South America in the 16th century, they conquered all the other villages in this empire. Why was Machu Picchu left alone? The Spaniards never found it. Some historians believe the Incas had already abandoned Machu Picchu by the time of the Spanish conquest in the 1530s. 8. Why was Machu Picchu abandoned? No one really knows, but these are all possibilities.

9. The remains of Machu Picchu were discovered in what year? Machu Picchu was unknown to the outside world until July 24, 1911, when American archeologist Hiram Bingham stumbled upon the then-overgrown site. He later described the find in his book "Lost City of the Incas: The Story of Machu Picchu and its Builders."

picchu bMwq_Q (0-9:56)