Why was drainage so important at Machu Picchu?

The site receives heavy rainfall

Machu Picchu Terraces Quiz: Inca Farming and Drainage

Heavy Andean rain should have washed the mountaintop city away centuries ago, and this Machu Picchu terraces quiz explains why it did not. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on layered terrace construction, drainage channels, engineer Kenneth Wright's study, the agricultural sector, Pachacuti, Hiram Bingham, Moray's circular terraces and UNESCO.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Terraces
What are Inca farming terraces called?
Purpose
Besides farming, what key job did the terraces do?
Layers
What lies beneath the topsoil of a Machu Picchu terrace?
Underground
Roughly how much of the site's construction is hidden underground?
Rain
Why was drainage so important at Machu Picchu?
Ruler
For which Inca ruler was Machu Picchu probably built?
Bingham
Who brought Machu Picchu to international attention in 1911?
Moray
What is unusual about the Inca terraces at Moray?
Sectors
Into which two main sectors is Machu Picchu divided?
UNESCO
When did Machu Picchu become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What are Inca farming terraces called?
Answer: Andenes
Andenes are stepped platforms built into slopes.
Q2: Besides farming, what key job did the terraces do?
Answer: Prevent landslides and erosion
They stabilized the steep mountain.
Q3: What lies beneath the topsoil of a Machu Picchu terrace?
Answer: Layers of sand, gravel and stone chips
The layers drain rainwater quickly.
Q4: Roughly how much of the site's construction is hidden underground?
Answer: About 60 percent
Engineer Kenneth Wright estimated much of the work lies in foundations and drainage.
Q5: Why was drainage so important at Machu Picchu?
Answer: The site receives heavy rainfall
Water could otherwise saturate the soil and cause collapse.
Q6: For which Inca ruler was Machu Picchu probably built?
Answer: Pachacuti
It was built in the 15th century.
Q7: Who brought Machu Picchu to international attention in 1911?
Answer: Hiram Bingham
Local farmers already knew the site.
Q8: What is unusual about the Inca terraces at Moray?
Answer: They form deep circular rings
Some think they tested crops in different microclimates.
Q9: Into which two main sectors is Machu Picchu divided?
Answer: Agricultural and urban
Terraces dominate the agricultural sector.
Q10: When did Machu Picchu become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Answer: 1983
It was also named a New Wonder of the World in 2007.

Machu Picchu Terraces Quiz – Inca Engineering in the Clouds

Machu Picchu, built in the 15th century probably for the Inca ruler Pachacuti, sits on a steep ridge in the Peruvian Andes. Hundreds of stepped terraces, called andenes, cover its slopes.

The terraces grew crops and, just as importantly, held the mountain together. Under the topsoil lie layers of sand, gravel and stone chips that drain heavy rain. Engineer Kenneth Wright estimated that about 60 percent of the construction lies underground.

The site is divided into agricultural and urban sectors, linked by drainage channels. Hiram Bingham publicized it in 1911, and it became a UNESCO site in 1983. At Moray, the Incas built circular terraces that may have tested crops.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans and travelers will enjoy these questions.

What the terraces were for
How they were built
Why drainage mattered
Who built Machu Picchu
Which other terraces exist

Did You Know?

Llamas graze on the terraces today.
The Inca Trail leads hikers to the Sun Gate.
Inca stonework fits without mortar.
The site lies above the Urubamba River.
Visitor numbers are limited to protect it.