The Peruvian government has initiated a controversial proposal to construct a new road to the famed “lost city” of the Incas, Machu Picchu. Opponents of the idea fear it would destroy the character of the site by making access too easy.
The proposed road would connect Aguas Calientes, the tourist town that accesses the ruins, with Santa Teresa, which is 12 miles to the northwest along the Vilcanota River. Currently, the only link between Aguas Calientes and Cusco—the nearest city with a commercial airport, 80 km from the ruins—is a single railroad line that was washed out earlier this year by torrential floods.