Machu Picchu is one of the world's most impressive historical sites. It was built around 1450 by the Incas, who ruled most of South America at that time. They called themselves children of the Sun, the powerful god they worshipped as the source of light and life.
马丘比丘是世界上最令人印象深刻的历史遗迹之一，大约1450年由当时统治了大部分南美地区的印加人修建。他们称自己为太阳之子，太阳是他们崇拜的强大的神，是光和生命的源泉。
Located in the Andes Mountains of Peru, at 8,000 feet above sea level, the"City of the Incas" was mysteriously abandoned just 100 years after its construction. This was when the Spanish were beginning their conquest of the Inca Empire, in the 1530's. There is no evidence that the Spanish invaders ever attacked or even reached the mountaintop city, so many believe that the city's inhabitants deserted the site because of a small pox epidemic.
“印加之城”位于秘鲁安第斯山脉，海拔8000英尺，建成仅100年就被神秘遗弃，当时是15世纪30年代，西班牙人开始征服印加帝国。没有证据表明西班牙侵略者曾经袭击过甚至抵达过这座山顶城市，因此许多人认为该城市的居民是因为天花流行而离开了这里。
The city was almost forgotten until 1911 when it was discovered by an American historian, Hiram Bingham, after he heard rumors of its existence. Bingham was led to the site by local farmers and was amazed by what he saw, which seemed like an unbelievable dream. He wondered if anyone would believe what he had found. Though the surrounding jungle had overgrown the site, what remained was impressive. The city had been built on a remote and nearly inaccessible mountaintop, often shrouded in clouds. Forty rows of farming terraces hugged the steep mountainside, each over 10 feet high and linked together by over 3000 stone steps. Among the city were what appeared to be neighborhoods of homes and exquisite stone buildings that are thought to be temples. Even today, the mystery remains as to the purpose of these temples, how the city was used and what its citizens did.
这座城市几乎被遗忘，直到1911年美国历史学家海勒姆·宾厄姆在听到它存在的传言后发现了它。宾厄姆被当地农民带来这里，他对自己看到的景象感到惊讶，这似乎是一个难以置信的梦。他不知道是否有人会相信他的发现，尽管周围长满了丛林，但印象令人深刻。这座城市建在一座偏远、几乎人迹罕至的山顶上，常年被云层笼罩。40排农耕梯田环绕着陡峭的山腰，每排梯田高达10英尺，由3000多个石阶连接在一起。在这座城市中，似乎有住宅区和被认为是寺庙的精美石头建筑。即使在今天，这些寺庙的用途、城市的用途以及市民的所作所为仍然是个谜。
Despite its remote location, Machu Picchu has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Every year, thousands of people travel to Peru to admire its magnificent stonework and breathtaking design. What they see is a wonderful harmony between the city and the landscape around it that is captivating.
尽管马丘比丘地理位置偏远，但它已成为世界上最受欢迎的旅游目的地之一。每年，成千上万的人前往秘鲁，欣赏其宏伟的石雕和令人惊叹的设计。这座城市和周围景观之间的美妙和谐，令人着迷。