For four hundred years after the Spanish conquest Machu Picchu remained forgotten in the mists of the Andes. It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Lost in the mist behind the city is the towering pinnacle of Huaynac Picchu, an artificially terraced mountain. These cultivation terraces completely surround, and are incorporated into, the site. Machu Picchu is more of a village in size and built by mita labour. Architectural specialists engineered the construction of the village, as is displayed in the fine craftsmanship of the stone buildings.

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