Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu
Machu Pikchu (Quechua)
Machupicchu
Machu Picchu in 2023
Location within Peru Location within South America
Interactive map of Machu Picchu
13°09′48″S 72°32′44″W
Type	Llaqta (settlement)
Cultures	Inca civilization
Location	Machupicchu District, Urubamba, Cusco, Peru
Region	Andes
History
Built	c. 1450 – c. 1470
Abandoned	c. 1532 – c. 1565
Site notes
Elevation	2,430 m (7,970 ft)
Discovered	Agustín Lizárraga (1902) Hiram Bingham (1911)
Condition	Preserved
Owner	Peruvian Government
Management	Peruvian Ministry of Culture
Public access	Yes
Website	machupicchu.gob.pe
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
Location	Latin America and the Caribbean
Criteria	Mixed: i, iii, vii, ix
Reference	274
Inscription	1983 (7th Session)
Area	38,160.87 ha (94,297.6 acres)

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain ridge at 2,430 meters (7,970 ft). It is situated in the Machupicchu District of Urubamba Province about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Cusco, above the Sacred Valley and along the Urubamba River, which forms a deep canyon with a subtropical mountain climate.

Often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu is one of the most iconic symbols of the Inca civilization and a major archaeological site in the Americas. Estimated to be built around 1450, it is believed to have served as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti, though no contemporary written records exist to confirm this. The site was abandoned roughly a century later, likely during the Spanish conquest. Modern radiocarbon dating places its occupation between c. 1420 and 1530.

Machu Picchu was constructed in the classical Inca style, featuring finely crafted dry-stone walls. Notable structures include the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, and the Intihuatana ritual stone. Although the site was known locally and reached in the early 20th century by the Peruvian explorer Agustín Lizárraga, it was brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham III. The original Inca name of the site may have been Huayna Picchu, after the mountain on which part of the complex stands.

Designated a National Historic Sanctuary by Peru in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, Machu Picchu was also named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. As of 2025, the site receives over 1.5 million visitors annually, making it Peru's most visited international tourist destination.