The hill fort of Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century. (Representative)
Peru:
The Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, one of South America’s biggest tourist draws, reopened to visitors in Peru on Wednesday after several weeks of closure due to civil unrest.
Protests that led to the ousting and jailing of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo in December stranded travelers in the Andes and prompted authorities to evacuate Machu Picchu and stop trains running between the site and the city of Cusco. inspired to.
Although protests and road blockades, which are concentrated in the south of Peru, have continued, there has been a relative calm in recent days.
The reopening began after an agreement between tourist businesses, officials and community leaders to guarantee security at the site and for transport services.
The timing of the reopening was lucky for visitors to Argentina on summer break.
“We had arranged all this,” said a woman at the site who did not give her name. “We were really worried that we wouldn’t be able to come. We arrived in Cusco on February 13th, and they opened on February 15th. It was a nice surprise.”
The hill fort of Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century, probably for the Incan emperor. It was abandoned around the time of the Spanish Conquest and was rediscovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham.
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