Machu Picchu is the centerpiece of most trips to Pérou, visited by millions of tourists each year, especially since it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, received the title of the 7th wonder of the modern world in 2007, and was elected the best eco-tourism destination for a national heritage of such great scope. Travelers often return utterly captivated, and no words seem sufficient to describe this truly magical place! That's why here are 10 things to know about Machu Picchu, which you'll be able to share in your travel stories to impress those around you…

10 Important Facts About Machu Picchu:

1. The words "Machu Picchu" come from the Quechua language, spoken by the Incas, and they mean "old mountain."

2. The Machu Picchu site was only rediscovered in 1911 by archaeologist Hiram Bingham. Until then, the city had been forgotten by all except for a few people living in the region. The majority of objects found by members of Hiram Bingham's 1911 expedition were transported to Yale University.

3. Machu Picchu is known throughout the world today, but for centuries the city had disappeared, and this was probably the reason why it wasn't destroyed by the Spanish. The conquistadors systematically plundered cities and destroyed Inca places of worship to impose Christianity. Fortunately, the Machu Picchu citadel had been forgotten high in the mountains of the Sacred Valley!

4. The Machu Picchu citadel contains no fewer than 150 buildings, including temples, houses, baths, observatories, and more.

5. Machu Picchu has not yet revealed all its secrets, and it's difficult to say precisely what this citadel meant to the Incas, but we can say without doubt that it served a religious purpose and was an astronomical observatory. A stone at the center of Machu Picchu (the Intihuatana) clearly marks the summer and winter solstices.

6. In 2012, Yale University decided to return more than 35,000 objects discovered at the Machu Picchu site by Hiram Bingham's teams, after 100 years of intense negotiations between Pérou and the United States! A large portion of this collection can be admired at the Casa Concha Museum in Cusco.

7. It is quite possible that Machu Picchu was one of the Inca's residences, but this royal residence was also deeply permeated with religious worship.

8. The site features 100 flights of stairs carved directly into the mountain rock.

9. Another testament to the Incas' remarkable building skills: stones weighing hundreds of tons were transported from the base of the mountain to the summit at 2,430 meters altitude without any wheels being discovered among the remains! How did they do it? It remains a true mystery… Moreover, the stones are carved with unimaginable precision and fit together perfectly.

10. Machu Picchu brings even greater pride to Pérou, as it was consecrated in 2007 on a global scale as one of the 7 New Wonders of the World!