Topic 3
Reading
Item 3: The beauty and aesthetics
This text describes the history of Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas.
The rediscovered city
In 1911, as if it were a film of Indiana Jones, the American Hiram Bingham, a professor at Yale University, led an expedition through the Andes that led to the rediscovery of a wonderful "lost city": Machu Picchu. Since the Spanish conquistadors never found, the majestic city, built in the mid fifteenth century, was nearly intact. Never been totally forgotten, but the locals who knew of its existence, had little contact with other peoples. After the visit of Bingham, Machu Picchu became one of the most important tourist attractions worldwide.
This city is the most famous Inca architecture, characterized by adapting to the natural terrain escarpments example. It is located in a mountainous area and covers about eight square kilometers. In the escarpments terraces connected by stairs, carrying a central square, where temples and government buildings in the city were built.
The Incas, usually carefully planned construction of buildings such as temples and palaces, as well as entire cities. They made detailed drawings of each component of the city and built models. Typically, the walls of stone buildings were important. The Incas used hammers to give the stones properly, and they did a fine job. It is even thought that when they had to build a major building, especially if it was religious, first built a model to actual size. This procedure could anticipate the correct distribution of the stones. So the experts explain the level of perfection that was achieved with stone architecture, even though the models were supposedly adobe bricks made of sun-dried mud.
Several factors contributed to the decline of Machu Picchu, which began only a few hundred years after its construction. During the height of the Inca empire, its first emperor, Pachacuti, had built the city, reserved for the social elite. However, after the death of Pachacutec, his successors built their own cities, so Machu Picchu began to lose some of its prestige.
During the same period, the Spanish conquered the Inca capital of Cuzco. Meanwhile, the Inca succumbed to diseases such as smallpox, which had brought the Spaniards and against which had no natural defenses. In addition, after the Spanish conquest, farmers who had been forced to cultivate the land of Machu Picchu left these lands to return to their hometowns. When Bingham arrived nearly four centuries later, with the exception of a few descendants still occupying the place, the Incas had already left Machu Picchu.
With its history so full of intrigue and an architecture that astonishes even the contemporary engineers, it is justified that in 1983 UNESCO has named Machu Picchu cultural and natural heritage of mankind.
1. When Machu Picchu was built?
a. Centuries before the arrival of the Spanish in America
b. A mid-fifteenth century
c. After the Spanish conquest
d. It is not known.
2. What is one characteristic of Inca architecture?
a. Fits very well landforms.
b. It is difficult to find.
c. Its buildings are made of adobe bricks.
d. Only has religious buildings.
3. Machu Picchu is formed by terraces. How are interconnected?
a. Are connected by models.
b. Are connected by temples.
c. Are not connected, they are independent.
d. Are connected by stairs.
4. What material were the most important buildings the Incas?
a. Stone
b. Adobe bricks
c. Planos
d. Clay
5. According to the article, what did the Incas before building a temple?
a. They prayed.
b. Contracted farmers.
c. Arming huge models.
d. General schemes were without many details.
6. When did the decline of Machu