the sacred city of Machu Picchu has not yet revealed all its secrets

Hidden in the heart of the Andes mountains, it is an architectural feat, built more than 500 years ago by the Incas. We thought we knew almost everything about the city of Machu Picchu (Peru), but it has not yet revealed all its secrets. It was on his way, in the heart of the Sacred Valley, that archaeologist José Bastante, helped by a team of Polish researchers, recently made a surprising discovery: a complex system of pipes hidden in the ground. These stones could only be identified thanks to a specific drone, equipped with beams of light, which made it possible to map these construction remains in 3D.

Covered by vegetation for nearly 400 years, before being officially revealed to the world in 1911, the sacred city of Machu Picchu has since been constantly renovated. More than 30% of the site would still be buried under the forest. Its mysteries are pierced gradually. Recently, archaeologists have elucidated the usefulness of a building, an astronomical instrument carved out of stone. The Incas thus studied the best time to plant corn, in the agricultural terraces located in front. “What we want is to know as much as possible about the habits and customs of the inhabitants during the Inca era. What was their relationship with nature, with the Gods?”says José Bastante, hashead archaeologist of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary. The real treasure of Machu Picchu are the temples and the stones that are in danger, in constant erosion, because they are trampled daily by thousands of tourists.