Why is Peru’s Machu Picchu famous?

Due to civil unrest as a result of a recent election, officials of Peru have made the call to shut down the country’s most famous monument.

The Inca ruins known as Machu Picchu, which date back to the 15th century, are located in the Cordillera de Vilcabamba area of the Andes Mountains. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. This grand place was home to somebody for years!

According to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention “It was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces, and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments”. “The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is among the greatest artistic, architectural, and land-use achievements anywhere and the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization,” the UNESCO World Heritage Convention continues. “Recognized for outstanding cultural and natural values, the mixed World Heritage property covers 32,592 hectares of mountain slopes, peaks, and valleys surrounding its heart, the spectacular archaeological monument of ‘La Ciudadela’ (the Citadel) at more than 2,400 meters above sea level.”

What is the state of Machu Picchu now?

Like every other country, Peru has its own politics to deal with. People have been travelling to Machu Picchu, to the famous Inca ruins in Peru for centuries now. However, those visits have been stopped by the government due to the ongoing civil unrest. The events that lead to this decision where around 1 million visitors each year are drawn – are continued violent demonstrations by protestors demanding the resignation of President Dina Boluarte. The protests began last month after then – President Pedro Castillo, Peru’s first leader who hails from the rural Andean area, was impeached and sent to prison for trying to dissolve the country’s congress, according to the Associated Press.

As of now, more than 55 people have died in the unrest. On Saturday, the police arrested more than 200 protestors who were illegally on the campus of a university in Lima, according to Reuters. On top of that – 417 visitors, 300 of whom were foreigners, had been stranded at Machu Picchu, briefed the Tourism Minister Luis Fernando Helguero, according to the Associated Press. However, since then, the Culture Ministry has said it has safely evacuated those visitors.

Can you go to Machu Picchu now?

Peru’s government has closed Machu Picchu. No train service to the area since last week because protestors damaged the train tracks. The airport at Cusco was also briefly shut down last week due to demonstrations. In the meantime, Peru’s Culture Ministry explains that tourists who have already bought tickets for Machu Picchu for dates from last Saturday, January 21, until 1 month after the end of the protests are able to obtain a full refund.

“In view of the current social situation in which our region and the country are immersed, the closure of the Inca trail network and Machu Picchu has been ordered, as of January 21, until further notice,” Peru’s Culture Ministry also said in a statement. The closure is necessary “to protect the safety of tourists and the population in general.”