---
node: sa_machu_picchu
type: art
slug: machu_picchu
title: "Machu Picchu"
lead: "Machu Picchu is an Inca royal estate and citadel set on a mountain ridge high in the Peruvian Andes, built around 1450. It is the most famous surviving monument of the Inca."
published: 2026-07-13
updated: 2026-07-13
image_file: machu_picchu.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Machu_Picchu,_Per%C3%BA,_2015-07-30,_DD_47.JPG"
image_author: "Diego Delso"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

Built for the emperor Pachacuti, Machu Picchu combines temples, terraces, and residences in finely fitted stonework on a dramatic site above the Urubamba River. It was abandoned around the time of the Spanish conquest and never found by the conquistadors.

## Description

Its buildings are made of precisely cut stone laid without mortar, aligned to the surrounding peaks and the sun. Terraced fields and channeled water show sophisticated engineering on steep terrain.

## History and legacy

Brought to world attention by Hiram Bingham in 1911, Machu Picchu is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an icon of the Inca. It draws visitors from around the world as a symbol of Andean civilization.