Machupicchu or Machupicchu Pueblo, also known as Aguas Calientes, is a location in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

situated in the Cusco Region,

Urubamba Province Urubamba Province is one of thirteen provinces in the Cusco Region in the southern highlands of Peru. Geography The province is bounded to the north by the La Convención Province, to the east by the Calca Province, to the south by the Cusco ...

. It is the seat of the Machupicchu District. Machupicchu lies at the Vilcanota River. It is the closest access point to the historical site of Machu Picchu which is away or about a 90-minute walk. There are many hotels and restaurants for tourists, as well as natural hot baths which gave the town its colloquial Spanish name. The village of Machupicchu did not exist until the railroad was built, as it was a center for construction workers. It took off after the railroad opened in 1931 and foreign tourists started arriving to visit the Machu Picchu ruins. Enterprising individuals set up businesses serving the tourists, primarily restaurants and small hotels. Those who could afford luxury stayed at the luxury hotel up by the ruins.

Name

The official name comes from

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

Machu Pikchu from ''machu'' old, old person, ''pikchu'' pyramid; mountain; or prominence with a broad base that ends in sharp peaks. The addition of "pueblo" comes from the Spanish word for town. It was formerly called Aguas Calientes meaning "hot waters" or " hot springs".

History

Settled by a few farm families in 1901, the settlement was transformed into a busy railway worker's camp called ''Maquinachayoq'' (possibly from Quechua ''makina'' (a borrowing from Spanish ''máquina'') machine / locomotive, train, ''-cha'', ''-yuq'' suffixes, "the one with a little machine, locomotive or train", ''Makinachayuq'') during the construction of the railroad through there in the late 1920s. The town was the central hub for worker lodging and their equipment until the railway was completed in 1931.

Transport

Machupicchu serves as a terminal for the

PeruRail PeruRail is a railway operator providing tourist, freight, and charter services in southern Peru. It was founded in 1999 by two Peruvian entrepreneurs and the British company Sea Containers. The main line between the port of Matarani, Arequipa ...

and Inca Rail passenger train service from Cusco. Trains serve locals and tourists arriving from Cusco and

Ollantaytambo Ollantaytambo ( qu, Ullantaytampu) is a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru some by road northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamb ...

to visit Machu Picchu. Avenue Pachacutec is the main and only thoroughfare of the town, connecting the baths to the town's main square.

Industry

The Central Machupicchu

Hydroelectric Plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

(''Hidroelectrica'') is nearby at the

Urubamba River The Urubamba River or Vilcamayo River (possibly from Quechua ''Willkamayu'', for "sacred river") is a river in Peru. Upstream it is called Vilcanota River (possibly from Aymara ''Willkanuta'', for "house of the sun"). Within the La Convención ...

. It generates about 90 MW for the regions of Cusco, Puno, and Apurímac . It was first constructed between 1958 and 1965 and expanded between 1981 and 1985. The plant was damaged by a landslide on 28 February 1998 and ceased operations until 13 July 2001.Central Hidroeléctrica Machupicchu
Empresa de Generación Eléctrica Machupicchu S.A.

Gallery

File:Urubamba river Aguas Calientes.jpg,

File:Aguas Calientes, Cuzco, Perú, 2015-07-30, DD 69.JPG, Train tracks bisect the town File:Machupicchu Village.jpg, Machupicchu Village Scene, March 2006 Aguas Calientes, Cuzco, Perú, 2015-07-30, DD 70.JPG, Statue of Inka Aguas Calientes, Cuzco, Perú, 2015-07-30, DD 67.JPG, Church Machu Picchu Aguas Calientes (Peru), interior of the church.jpg, Interior of the church File:PeruRail 291.jpg, Railbus Officials in Aguas Calientes.

Twin towns

Haworth Haworth () is a village in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, in the Pennines, south-west of Keighley, west of Bradford and east of Colne in Lancashire. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope. Nearby villages inc ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

* Otama village, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

References

External links

Aguas-Calientes.com

Aguas Calientes
at cusco-peru.org * {{Authority control Populated places in the Cusco Region Tourism in Peru