BP GEOGRAPHIC

Huayna Picchu, better known to the world as Machu Picchu, was built around 1450 but abandoned during the time of the Spanish conquest one hundred years later and then forgotten for most of the world. Only in the 19th century a National Geographic Explorer reached this spot and rediscovered the Lost City of the Inca.

The descendants of the Inca still knew about the existence and location of Machu Picchu, but it only became famous after the explorer stumbled upon it.

What should also be mentioned is the drive of several hours from Cuzco to Santa Teresa which included many turns around mountains and the walk through the jungle along the railroad tracks from Santa Teresa to Aguas Calientes. So it makes sense to take a bus up the steep serpentine road to Machu Picchu.