Culture Notes – Chapter 5
El Camino Inca
Leads from Cuzco to Machu Picchu through the Urubamba Valley
The Inca were famous for creating a series of roads (caminos) that went all throughout the Inca
Empire. All of these roads eventually converged on the ancient Inca capital, Cuzco.
The National Cultural Institute of Peru is trying to preserve these roads by limiting the number
of visitors that can hike them on any particular day. The Camino Inca can only have 500 people
per day on it.
Hikers who take the Camino Inca to Machu Picchu must make reservations in advance and they
must have a guide.
Machu Picchu, Peru
The Lost City of the Inca
It was never discovered by the Spanish
Stands at 2,800 meters
Was active during the height of the Inca Empire (1438-1533)
In 1911, Hiram Bingham found it, cleared away all of the vegetation, and made the city known to
others throughout the world. Now it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is one of the
most famous tourist attractions in the world.
Hiram Bingham was an Inca scholar, Yale University professor, archeologist, and U.S Senator.
No one knows for sure why Machu Picchu was built, how it was built, and why it was suddenly
abandoned.
It is composed of three sections: the agricultural section (the terraces where they grew crops
and had an elaborate irrigation system), the urban section (where the people actually lived), and
the religious section.
Punta del Este, Uruguay
Famous beach resort
Has great shopping and night life
Is a peninsula with two very different beaches: Playa Mansa is on the bay side so it is calm.
Playa Brava is on the Atlantic side so it has big waves and lots of wind. Isla de Lobos is a nature
reserve that is on the peninsula.