The Mind Creative JULY 2014 | Page 40

The Mind Creative March 2014 The city of Cuzco Cuzco, it is a wonder of human application, toil and achievement. Constructed in the 1400’s, most probably as a manor for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472), this city was abandoned less than 100 years after its construction, as a consequence of the Spanish Conquest. It is surmised that its population may have perished from smallpox introduced by voyagers even before the Spanish conquistadors. There are no indications that the Spanish even knew of existence of this amazing hilltop city. Such is the remoteness of Machu Picchu that it remained a “lost city”, unknown to anyone but a few locals, until the American historian Hiram Bingham “discovered” it in 1911. Photographs courtesy of Razi Azmi http://girlgonegallivanting.com/loving-lima/ http://www.explorebyyourself.com/en/peru/about_the_country/cusco/ 40