Todd Borgie reporting from Peru: A visit to Machu Picchu: Let's Go!   Another mystery of the Americas is the fascinating city of Machu Picchu. As with other mysterious locations, not much is known about the city nor it’s inhabitants. It was first excavated and studied in 1911 by an American named Hiram Bingham, a professor from Yale, who came across this place  in his search for the lost city of Vilicabamba. Local farmers knew about the ruins, but as ancient Inca ruins are very common in Peru, they thought nothing about it. Machu Picchu is a small community, thought once to have been the home of astronomers, scientists and artisans. Not much is known about the city because nothing has been written about it in Spanish records, and it was abandoned long before it was rediscovered in 1911. It is probably the most impressive  and complete example of Incan Architecture that is known today. Although archaeologists have rebuilt much of the city, there are many structures that weathered the years of neglect. To get to Machu Picchu Drive Around the world team members had to wake up at 5:00am in order to catch the train. From Cuzco, Peru, the train takes about 3 and half hours as it snakes its way in and out of canyons, over rivers, and through small towns. Once we arrived in the city of Aguas Calientes (hot water, named from the hot springs nearby), we took a bus up the steep switchbacks and to the edge of the ancient Inca City. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. It was amazing as the city came into focus! Also, it was amazing to stand at the ledges of the city and see the jungle below. See for yourself! Although pictures are great, nothing describes the feeling of actually being there. The large stair like things you see are called terraces. They enabled the Incas to farm on these steep slopes. If they didn’t have these terraces the rain would have sped down the mountain and destroyed all the crops in its path. Within the stairs there were three levels, the bottom layer was clay soil, the middle layer were rocks, and the top level was good soil. All of these levels served a purpose. The top level of good soil enabled the plants to grow, the second level, allowed the top level to drain properly so the plants wouldn’t get sick, and the third level of clay, allowed the drained water to flow to the next level below. Life in this town must have been much different than we are used to. For most kids growing up in Machu Picchu, life would be a lot of work. Children had to care for and herd llamas. They were also sent to work in the gardens and fields. Generally children would work alongside their parents, learning their professions by doing them everyday. For most children there were not formalized school, classrooms that you had to go to everyday. You were required to work as your family depended on you to provide your share of food to ensure the survival of the family. If you blew off your work, generally your whole family would suffer. Can you image what you would be doing right now if you were an Inca at Machu Picchu 600 years ago?