2. The culture is through word of mouth and the historical sites are on the land
Now the descendents of the ancient Incas still live in the plateau in South America and the Peruvian territory still retains some traces of the ancient Inca. One of the most famous sites is the ancient city Machu Picchu， an imperial city of Inca on the top of a high mountain.
口口相传的是文化，落地成埃的是古迹
在南美洲的高原深地中，现在还居住着印加民族的后裔，在秘鲁境内也还留存着些许印加古城痕迹，其中最著名的便是马丘比丘古城，一个建立在雄山之巅的印加皇城。
Machu Picchu：A majestic city on the top of a high mountain
Standing on a mountain about 2500 meters high， the ancient city of Machu Picchu has already lost its former image of a prosperous city with its hubbub of voices and heavy traffic. Nevertheless， when you place yourself inside the city， you can’t help feeling amazed at the wisdom and tenacity of the Incas because it is hard to imagine how they managed to build such a majestic city on the top of a high mountain.
Built in the 15th century， Machu Picchu covers an area of 13 square kilometers， with nearly 200 buildings such as the temple of the sun， military fortresses， altars， noble compounds， civilian housings， markets， workshops， squares and bathhouses， including a staircase of about 3000 steps along the hillside. All these buildings along with the surrounding natural environment form one integrated mass. Along the ridge slope there are more than 100 layers of terraced fields used to grow cereals and vegetables. Inside the ruins of the ancient city spread many "satellite cities" with many magnificent buildings such as gardens， channels and palaces all around.
After the Spaniards conquered the Inca， they plundered the city wantonly and committed all manners of crimes. In 1536， the puppet emperor of Inca took advantage of an opportunity to unit an army in order to revolt against the invaders. After the army was defeated， the emperor fled to Vilka Bomba in Andean valley. Soon， the rumors about Vilka Bomba being the hideout of the Inca emperor's treasures spread like wild fire. In 1911， an American historian intended to look for the last refuge of the Incas in Vilka Bomba， however， by accident he found the more spectacular ancient city of Machu Picchu instead. Just like an ancient city that suddenly appeared on the earth， the true history of Machu Picchu has not yet been decided. It is also because of the uncertainty that the enigmatic Machu Picchu attracts countless visitors to get a glimpse into the magic of Incan civilization.
马丘比丘古城：高山之巅的雄伟之城
屹立在海拔2500米左右高山上的马丘比丘古城虽然没有了往日的人声鼎沸与车水马龙，但当你置身其中时，你会惊讶于印加民族的智慧与顽强。很难想象，他们是如何在这样的高山之巅建出这样一座雄伟之城。
马丘比丘建于公元15世纪，占地13平方公里，包括太阳神庙、军事堡垒、祭坛、贵族庭院、平民住房、市场、作坊、广场、浴池等近200座建筑和连接山坡与城市的约3000级台阶，与周围的自然环境浑然一体。山脊斜坡上辟有百余层梯田，用于种植粮食和蔬菜。遗址境内分布着许多“卫星城”，处处可见花园、通道、宫殿等宏伟建筑。
西班牙人占领了印加后大肆劫掠无恶不作，1536年，当时的印加傀儡皇帝借机组军起义，事败后逃到安第斯山谷中的维尔卡邦巴，不久那里藏有印加皇帝宝藏的传闻亦不胫而走。1911年，一位美国历史学家希望寻找印加人最后的避难所维尔卡邦巴，却意外地发现了更宏伟壮观的马丘比丘。马丘比丘如同忽然间在地球上出现的一座古城，它的真正历史至今仍未有定论。也正由于这个原因，谜一样的马丘比丘每年都吸引着无数游人到此一窥印加文明的神奇。
City of Cuzco and its castle buildings：The western colonizationthronged with pedestrians
Situated in the Peruvian Andes， Cuzco developed， under the Inca ruler Pachacutec， into a complex urban centre with distinct religious and administrative functions. Unlike Machu Picchu， it's still thronged with pedestrians because the invaders didn’t trash the city to bits but changed it into their own camp. As a result， there remains in Cuzco not only buildings of Inca empire but also buildings that are characterized with western colonization.
One of the famous buildings in Cuzco is the Sark Salman round castle. The round castle lies on a small hillside and it serves as a great defense system， overlooking the city. It is said that Inca emperor Pachacutec started the construction of the main part of the round castle in 1470s and the construction work lasted for over 50 years. The round castle was not completely finished even before the Spanish colonial invasion. From top to bottom， this huge compound of architectures has three layers of the fence walls. Every layer of the fence walls is 18 meters high and 540-metres long. The 800-meter long lower staircases of the castle are covered with flagstones.
At the top of the round castle， three towers form a neat triangle. The cylinder-shaped main tower is the palace of the Inca king and the other two square towers serve as garrisons. At the bottom of the castle lies a meshwork of stone tunnels that are connected with all the three towers. With its novel and complex structure， this compound of magnificent buildings indicates the might of the Incan empire.
