Gold coin New seven wonders of the world - Machu Picchu proof

The third of the New Seven Wonders of the World is the Incan seat of Machu Picchu. The legendary monument is commemorated by a gold coin of the Czech Mint weighing one troy ounce.

The majestic Andes, which stretch along the west coast of South America, are the longest mountain range in the world. They are magical, but also deadly, and few people dare to cross them. But the ancient Incas thrived on the steep slopes - at altitudes where even oxygen is scarce. The Peruvian city of Machu Picchu is proof. No one today knows what the breathtaking mansion, 2,430 metres above sea level, was used for. It may have been a sacred place - an observatory, an altar or a convent of sun maidens. It may have belonged to the ruling elite who wanted to escape the noise of the crowded metropolises. Perhaps it was the home of the Inca ruler Pachacuti himself. There is also speculation that it was an agricultural laboratory or even a penal colony. In any case, it was built in perfect harmony with the mountainous terrain. It is surrounded on three sides by a steep cliff and a river. Directly beneath it is a tectonic fault that made it easier for observant builders to quarry stone and divert water during disastrous floods. The granite blocks from which the city was built are perfectly processed and assembled - no mortar binds them together, and so they resist earthquakes. As a result, Machu Picchu has survived for centuries. It was rediscovered in 1911 and since then it has fascinated us …

The reverse side of the coin, which is the work of the medal maker Ludmila Kracíková, DiS., presents an actual image of the mountain town supplemented with an inscription of MACHU PICCHU. On the obverse side, which is common to the entire cycle, all the new seven wonders of the world appear - the Brazilian statue of Christ the Saviour, the Jordanian rock city of Petra, the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá in Mexico, the Roman Colosseum, the Indian monument of the Taj Mahal, the Inca seat of Machu Picchu in Peru and the Great Wall of China. As the coins of the Czech Mint are issued with the foreign license of the island of Niue, their obverse sides also bear its national emblem, the nominal value of 50 DOLLARS (NZD) and the year of issue 2024.​

The edition has only 200 one-ounce coins.