Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru, renowned for its dry-stone construction and mountain-top setting. It is an outstanding example of Inca engineering and town planning built on a ridge above the Urubamba River valley.

Construction is attributed to the Inca state in the mid-15th century, commonly linked to the reign of Pachacuti, and the site functioned as a royal estate and religious center. It was largely abandoned during the Spanish conquest in the 16th century and remained largely unknown to the outside world until the early 20th century when it was brought to wider attention.

Machu Picchu is located in the Department of Cusco in southeastern Peru, above the Urubamba River and within steep Andean terrain; the nearest town with regular transport access is Aguas Calientes (Machupicchu Pueblo) in the Urubamba valley, reached by train from Cusco approximately 70 kilometers to the southeast.

• Altitude and access: Sits at approximately 2,430 meters above sea level; altitude and steep paths mean visitors should allow time to acclimatize and wear sturdy footwear.
• Entry requirements: Permits and timed entry are required for access to the site to limit daily visitor numbers-book ahead during high season.

What to See #

• Citadel (urban core): The main urban sector or citadel contains plazas, residential sectors, and religious buildings arranged on a ridge, with agricultural terraces descending the slopes and a clear separation between urban and agricultural zones.
• Intihuatana: A stone carved ritual pillar known as the Intihuatana is located on a raised platform and is one of the site's principal ceremonial stones.
• Major temples and ritual structures: The Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Three Windows are masonry ritual complexes featuring precise stonework and trapezoidal doorways and niches.