Inca Machu Picchu Daily Life Coloring Pages

Machu Picchu sits 2,430 meters (7,970 feet) above sea level on a mountain ridge in Peru's Sacred Valley. The ancient city is surrounded by the towering Andes Mountains and dense cloud forests, making it incredibly difficult to reach even today.

Built around 1450 CE during the reign of Inca emperor Pachacuti, Machu Picchu housed approximately 300 to 1,000 people including nobles, priests, servants, and skilled craftsmen. It was abandoned around 1572 when Spanish conquistadors arrived.

Residents grew potatoes, quinoa, and corn on spectacular terraced farms carved into the mountainside. They also ate llama and alpaca meat, guinea pigs called cuy, and various beans and vegetables. Everything had to be perfectly planned due to the remote location.

The Incas used bronze tools, wooden levers, and ropes to move massive stone blocks weighing up to 50 tons. They cut stones so precisely that they fit together without mortar, creating earthquake-resistant walls that still stand today after 500 years.

People worked as farmers on the terraces, weavers creating colorful textiles, stone masons building structures, and priests conducting ceremonies. Everyone contributed to the community through a labor system called ayni, where people helped each other with tasks.

Machu Picchu was likely abandoned when Spanish conquistadors conquered the Inca Empire in the 1570s. The remote location that once protected it became a disadvantage, and residents probably fled to join other Inca resistance movements in the jungle.