hey guys, im typing a paper for my history class, and ive got the whole essay done except for the conclusion! the conclusion's always the hardest part for me, so would anyone mind reading the brief essay and telling me what i could put in the conclusion?
here it is...
There are several theories describing the possible uses of the lost city of Machu Picchu, built in approximately 1440 A.D. Today, the seemingly magical ruins are a tourist attraction, as well as the most protected wildlife preserve in Peru. However, when this lost city was inhabited, it may have served as a burial, and it is almost certain, that Machu Picchu served as an astronomical observatory and that many annual religious ceremonies revolving around the sun took place there. The features of the ruins of Machu Picchu indicate that it may have served as a burial ground, ceremonial grounds, and an astronomical observatory; today, it serves as a wildlife preserve and a tourist attraction.
In Machu Picchu, there is a central tomb known as the Royal Tomb, which has been found to contain numerous mummies. Originally, there were many more female mummies found than male mummies, and this led to the belief that Machu Picchu and served as a training site for priestesses. However, later excavations revealed a number of male bones nearly equal to the number of female bones, disproving the theory that Machu Picchu was solely or mostly inhabited by women. In one wall of this central tomb, there is a carving of an Inca cross. This cross resembles three steps, and these steps are the three planes or levels of Inca life. The bottom step is the underworld and is symbolized by a snake, the middle step is human existence on Earth and is symbolized by a jaguar, and the top step is the spiritual level on which the gods live and is symbolized by a condor.
The Incas were very knowledgeable in the field of astronomy. They used the Temple of the Sun as a calendar, and they used the intihuatana stone pillar to predict the solstices. Many of these pillars were destroyed by Spanish conquerors during their quests through Latin and South America, but the Spanish were unable to find Machu Picchu. On the two equinoxes, the sun was almost directly above the intihuatana pillar, and created no shadow to any side of the pillar. Intihuatana means hitching post of the sun, and when the sun was in position directly above the intihuatana pillar, the Incas had ceremonies in which the sun was tied to the pillar, and its movement northward was stopped. The sun was the most powerful god in the Incas pantheistic religion, and because their crops depended on it greatly, it had a great influence on Inca society. During the winter solstice on June 21, a high priest would tie a golden disk to the intihuatana to symbolize the catching of the sun and bringing it back towards Earth. Also on the winter solstice, the sunlight goes through a trapezoidal window in the Temple of the Sun and shines on a large, flat granite slab that presumably acted as a calendar. At night, this same window could be used to view the constellation Pleiades. This constellation was a symbol of crop fertility for the Incas.
As a wildlife preserve today, Machu Picchu is the most protected wildlife sanctuary in Peru. Its grass it kept short by herds of alpaca, and it has one of the most diverse populations of birds in the world, with over 420 species. This makes Machu Picchu an attraction for many birdwatchers. It is also home to many insects, and a large number of animals living in Machu Picchu are endemic to the area. Some researchers believe that so many animals are endemic to this area because the climate is unusually stable. However, this may change over time as Machu Picchu becomes more and more affected by tourism.
As a tourist attraction, Machu Picchu is suffering a number of problems. There is a risk of landslide, because the land around Machu Picchu has been eroded over time. This has caused suggestions of installation of a cable car to arise. The cable car would prevent people from walking on the eroding soil, though it would be positioned on the second most active landslide region, and the vibrations from the cable car could sharply raise the risk of landslide or even trigger one. However, conservation organizations have said that a cable car would mar the natural vistas and raise tourist traffic to an unsupportable level. With the number of tourists already visiting Machu Picchu annually, tea bags and water bottles are scattered throughout the Inca trail leading up to Machu Picchu, and the many local hotels pump waste into the nearby Urubamba River, with trash piling along its banks. Tourists may also get to Machu Picchu via helicopter, but many researchers have said that helicopters remove the peaceful quality from the ruins and destroy the surrounding environment. Though the isolation of Machu Picchu does lessen the number of tourists to visit annually, tourism still negatively effects it, and with the use of helicopters, it is becoming easier for more and more people to visit.
here it is...
There are several theories describing the possible uses of the lost city of Machu Picchu, built in approximately 1440 A.D. Today, the seemingly magical ruins are a tourist attraction, as well as the most protected wildlife preserve in Peru. However, when this lost city was inhabited, it may have served as a burial, and it is almost certain, that Machu Picchu served as an astronomical observatory and that many annual religious ceremonies revolving around the sun took place there. The features of the ruins of Machu Picchu indicate that it may have served as a burial ground, ceremonial grounds, and an astronomical observatory; today, it serves as a wildlife preserve and a tourist attraction.
In Machu Picchu, there is a central tomb known as the Royal Tomb, which has been found to contain numerous mummies. Originally, there were many more female mummies found than male mummies, and this led to the belief that Machu Picchu and served as a training site for priestesses. However, later excavations revealed a number of male bones nearly equal to the number of female bones, disproving the theory that Machu Picchu was solely or mostly inhabited by women. In one wall of this central tomb, there is a carving of an Inca cross. This cross resembles three steps, and these steps are the three planes or levels of Inca life. The bottom step is the underworld and is symbolized by a snake, the middle step is human existence on Earth and is symbolized by a jaguar, and the top step is the spiritual level on which the gods live and is symbolized by a condor.
The Incas were very knowledgeable in the field of astronomy. They used the Temple of the Sun as a calendar, and they used the intihuatana stone pillar to predict the solstices. Many of these pillars were destroyed by Spanish conquerors during their quests through Latin and South America, but the Spanish were unable to find Machu Picchu. On the two equinoxes, the sun was almost directly above the intihuatana pillar, and created no shadow to any side of the pillar. Intihuatana means hitching post of the sun, and when the sun was in position directly above the intihuatana pillar, the Incas had ceremonies in which the sun was tied to the pillar, and its movement northward was stopped. The sun was the most powerful god in the Incas pantheistic religion, and because their crops depended on it greatly, it had a great influence on Inca society. During the winter solstice on June 21, a high priest would tie a golden disk to the intihuatana to symbolize the catching of the sun and bringing it back towards Earth. Also on the winter solstice, the sunlight goes through a trapezoidal window in the Temple of the Sun and shines on a large, flat granite slab that presumably acted as a calendar. At night, this same window could be used to view the constellation Pleiades. This constellation was a symbol of crop fertility for the Incas.
As a wildlife preserve today, Machu Picchu is the most protected wildlife sanctuary in Peru. Its grass it kept short by herds of alpaca, and it has one of the most diverse populations of birds in the world, with over 420 species. This makes Machu Picchu an attraction for many birdwatchers. It is also home to many insects, and a large number of animals living in Machu Picchu are endemic to the area. Some researchers believe that so many animals are endemic to this area because the climate is unusually stable. However, this may change over time as Machu Picchu becomes more and more affected by tourism.
As a tourist attraction, Machu Picchu is suffering a number of problems. There is a risk of landslide, because the land around Machu Picchu has been eroded over time. This has caused suggestions of installation of a cable car to arise. The cable car would prevent people from walking on the eroding soil, though it would be positioned on the second most active landslide region, and the vibrations from the cable car could sharply raise the risk of landslide or even trigger one. However, conservation organizations have said that a cable car would mar the natural vistas and raise tourist traffic to an unsupportable level. With the number of tourists already visiting Machu Picchu annually, tea bags and water bottles are scattered throughout the Inca trail leading up to Machu Picchu, and the many local hotels pump waste into the nearby Urubamba River, with trash piling along its banks. Tourists may also get to Machu Picchu via helicopter, but many researchers have said that helicopters remove the peaceful quality from the ruins and destroy the surrounding environment. Though the isolation of Machu Picchu does lessen the number of tourists to visit annually, tourism still negatively effects it, and with the use of helicopters, it is becoming easier for more and more people to visit.
