Machu Picchu

Creator of the Inca Empire, Pachacuti the Conqueror, orders the building of an impossible city in the sky – Machu Picchu.

To celebrate his god-like status as “Son of the Sun God”, the creator of the Inca – or Inka – Empire, Pachacuti the Conqueror (his name means “World-Shaker”), orders the building of an impossible city in the sky – Machu Picchu. The mountain retreat will be a sacred residence where he will commune with his fellow gods – the sun, moon, thunder, and mountains. This documentary profiles the history of engineering this amazing ancient megastructure.

Machu Picchu is located in modern-day Peru high in the Andes Mountains, almost two-and-a-half kilometres above sea level. It sits on a narrow ridge of volcanic granite, which deals Pachacuti the Conqueror an almost impossible task. This show reveals its history of architecture – how his engineers design the city to resist torrential rains, landslides, and earth quakes characteristic of the region. They erect spectacular temples, altars, residences, and fountains – all built on shifting and fractured rock. Brilliantly conceived, perfectly executed, using techniques that even surpass those of today – and mystify archeologists – the Incans realize their masterpiece.

When Spanish Conquistadores and European smallpox destroy the Inca Empire, Machu Picchu is abandoned, and mostly forgotten – living on only in legend. It’s revealed again centuries later, covered in jungle, beautifully preserved. Withstanding time, just as the Emperor Pachacuti the Conqueror intended, it remains one the most spectacular, awe-inspiring and mysterious monuments in the world.