Machu Picchu - World Heritage Site

Date:

December 09 - 2023

Why is Macchu Picchu a World Heritage Site?

40 years after UNESCO's recognition of Machu Picchu as a World Heritage Site, let us remember the benefits of the most important jewel of the Inca empire that today delights the whole world.

Machu Picchu, the greatest architectural work of the Incas, nestled in the foothills of the Andean mountain range and that by the whim of history was never known by the Spanish, remaining hidden for centuries until its discovery in 1911 has received worldwide admiration and has earned him numerous titles and awards worldwide, and one of those perhaps the most important is the declaration of PATRIMONY OF HUMANITY a day like today 32 years ago.

On December 9, 1983, Machu Picchu was declared "Patrimony of Humanity" by UNESCO, recognition in which places of natural or cultural transcendence are located for the common heritage of Humanity. The protection area includes an area of 32,592 hectares, which not only includes the archaeological part, but also the flora, fauna and landscapes, highlighting the abundant presence of orchids.

In its more than 32,592 hectares, strategically located between the Andes and the Cusquenian Amazon, Machu Picchu is home to a great diversity of wild flora and fauna, where the landscape is systematically associated with the archaeological remains that demonstrate the high level of knowledge that the Incas had in engineering and science.

Among the species of flora are large forests of native trees such as q'euña, alder, intimpa, cedar, pisonay and especially more than 423 species of orchids that have caused great interest in botany lovers.

Machu Picchu also marvels with the presence of microclimates that allow the formation of fragile ecosystems inhabited by small species such as insects and birds and mammals in which the Andean bear or spectacled bear stands out, Rupicola peruviana or commonly known as the "Cock of the Rock" (National Bird of Peru), river otter, sword-billed hummingbird, guan, dwarf deer, Andean fox, condor, and the torrent duck as the most representative, among which are some endangered species that are disappearing from the planet.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit this wonder of the world, it is a pending place in everyone's travel agenda.

ACTIVITIES

Cusco authorities will celebrate this new anniversary with the following activities.

• The activities to remember this event will be held in Aguas Calientes, district of Machu Picchu, province of Urubamba, in the Cusco region.
• They begin today, Wednesday morning, with a liturgical ceremony and the raising of the national flag.
• In the afternoon, the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (Sernanp) will inaugurate a photographic exhibition and video documentaries on the biodiversity and history of the fabulous sanctuary.
• On Thursday, training workshops will be held on Andean Bear Conservation Strategies by Sernanp and on the Cultural Heritage Law by the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco.
  These activities will conclude with a series of conferences on natural heritage conservation strategie