I personally enjoyed learning about Machu Picchu the most out of all of the archaeological sites we learned about this semester. My aunt loves to travel and went to Machu Picchu when she was in her 30s and absolutely loved it. She invited my mom along but my mom declined because she had 3 small kids at home (sorry mom). Missing out on that awesome opportunity has been one of my mom’s biggest regrets. I really hope to go to Machu Picchu one day and would like to take my mom there. Learning about it in class was especially intriguing for me because I hope to one day use my knowledge to further understand the site in person!

Besides my personal fascination with the site, I truly think that it is an amazing place. Machu Picchu is clearly one of the wonders of the world. Machu Picchu was built high in the Andes Mountains, which makes it an even more incredible feat that people lived and expanded their territories in such a difficult environment. Their struggles didn’t end there, as they were eventually subject to a terrible epidemic of disease and then the Spanish conquered the Inca and wiped them out.

Although I’ve been interested in the site for some time, I never really researched it. I had learned a little bit in grade school about the Inca, but this class gave me a more concrete understanding of the Inca and Machu Picchu. Something I was surprised to hear was that there were many palaces because they were not passed down from king to king. I also never knew that Machu Picchu was only inhabited for about 100 years. The building of the city was incredible as well because not only was the construction sophisticated enough to prevent collapse and so precise that the stones fit together perfectly, but they did it without technology or tools. The complexity of the Incan city and its creation make it an amazing site.

One of the reasons I was drawn to this class was to learn more about places I intended on visiting. As a self-proclaimed avid traveler, I want to know about the places I want to visit and their history. Learning more about the archeological side of these sites gave me a new perspective on how I should view and research these places. Machu Picchu is definitely at the top of the list now. Not just because of its popularity, but because the more I learn about the site the more interested and determined I am to visit it!