| Macchu Pichu is an Inca archaeological site
2,430 meters (7,970 feet) on a mountain ridge above thee Urubamba
Valley 70 kilometers (44 miles) northwest of Cuzco. The site
was constructed around the year 1450 and abandoned a hundred
years later. The site was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary
in 1981 and UNESCO
declared this a World Heritage Site in 1983.
No more than 500 trekkers, guides and porters are allowed on
the Inca Trail per day.
In his feature Saving
Machu Picchu Tim Leffel writes: "The site was once
a mysterious and hidden set of ruins visited mainly by archeologists
and hardcore backpackers. In 1992, only 9,000 tourists visited
the ruins all year. In 2002, the figure rose to 150,000. In
2005 there will probably be close to 400,000 visitors. Machu
Picchu is the most visited site in South America. It reportedly
generates $40 million each year for Peru’s economy. Because
of the power of this one attraction, tourism is the second largest
industry nationwide, after mining, and the largest industry
overall in the Cusco region."
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