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Machu Picchu

✨ The city of clouds

Machu Picchu is an Inca archaeological site in the Peruvian Andes, built in the 15th century on a mountain ridge about 2,430 metres above sea level. It was constructed during the height of the Inca Empire, probably under the ruler Pachacuti, although its exact purpose is still debated. The site contains about 200 structures arranged on steep terrain, including residential buildings, ceremonial spaces, agricultural areas and terraces.

Its stone walls were carefully fitted together, often without mortar. The builders also adapted the settlement to the mountain rather than trying to flatten the landscape. Located on the eastern slopes of the Andes, Machu Picchu lies in a transition zone between high mountains and the Amazon Basin, where the climate and ecosystems are highly varied. The site was abandoned in the 16th century, around the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, and vegetation gradually covered much of the settlement.

It was not completely unknown locally, but its existence became widely known outside the region after the American explorer Hiram Bingham visited it in 1911. Archaeological research has since revealed sophisticated terraces, drainage systems, water channels and carefully planned buildings. These features show how the Incas managed water and cultivated steep mountain slopes while coping with heavy rainfall and unstable ground.

Machu Picchu is also part of a much larger protected historic sanctuary, which includes mountains, valleys, forests and diverse wildlife. UNESCO inscribed the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983 as a mixed cultural and natural site. Its exact role within the Inca world remains uncertain, but its architecture and relationship with the surrounding landscape provide important evidence about Inca society, engineering and religious practices.

💡 Did you know?

Did you know that the Incas were formidable builders who used stones so well cut that they hold together without any cement? The blocks fit together so perfectly that you cannot even slide a knife blade between them! This allows the buildings to resist earthquakes because the stones can 'move' a little without falling.

Machu Picchu remained hidden from the world for almost 400 years! Spanish explorers never found it, and the city was overgrown by the forest for centuries. It was only in 1911 that an American, Hiram Bingham, rediscovered it thanks to the directions of a local boy who knew the secret path up the mountain.

The Incas worshipped the sun and carved a special stone called the Intihuatana, meaning 'the place where the sun is tied'. On the shortest days of the year, priests performed ceremonies to ensure the sun would not go too far and would come back to warm their fields of corn and potatoes.