Machu Picchu: Invasion Of The Incan Empire

“Suddenly we found ourselves standing in front of the ruins of two of the finest and most interesting structures in ancient America.” wrote, Hiram Bingham. This was Hiram Bingham’s description of when he first discovered Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is an abandoned Incan religious retreat located on the eastern slopes of the Vilcanota mountain range, 80 miles away from the city Cusco. Machu Picchu has over 3,000 steps, stretches over five miles long, and had over 150 buildings. The abandonment of the amazing architectural accomplishment of Machu Picchu was caused by factors such as the Spanish invasion of the Incan Empire, the smallpox outbreak in the empire, and there were no more emperors to rule. The first reason that Machu Picchu was abandoned was that the Spanish conquistadors invaded the Inca Empire. When they invaded, they destroyed Incan cities because they had religious symbols inside. The Spanish destroyed them because they were Christians and believed that everyone should follow their religion. The Spanish also dug up tombs and ransacked Incan temples, in their search for riches. They stole gold and other valuables from the tombs and temples, and then destroyed them. With the riches they got from the religious symbols, tombs, and temples
Francisco Pizarro captured the last Incan
The exact reason why Machu Picchu was abandoned is still unknown, but as researchers learn more about the Inca and their empire, there are less possibilities. Machu Picchu’s abandonment was caused by not one reason, but by many small reasons that had a big effect on the Incas’ that lived in Machu