Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century—around 1450, by order of the Inca ruler Pachacútec, according to PromPerú. The complex of some 200 structures, described by UNESCO as a religious, ceremonial, astronomical, and agricultural center, follows a rigorous plan that separates the farming areas from the residential ones, with a large plaza between them. Its exact purpose is still debated: hypotheses include a mausoleum for Pachacútec, an administrative and agricultural center, a link between the Andes and the Amazon, and a retreat for the Inca ruler.
The city was abandoned in the 16th century, during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Its isolation and the vegetation that covered its buildings helped preserve its architecture, and it was not until 1911 that the site was made known to the outside world, when the American Hiram Bingham arrived, guided by local residents who knew the site. Archaeological excavations and conservation work followed.
On December 9, 1983, at the 7th session of the World Heritage Committee in Florence, the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu was inscribed on the World Heritage List as a mixed property for its cultural and natural values. On July 7, 2007, the citadel was announced in Lisbon as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, following a vote in which more than 100 million votes were cast.
Today, the Llaqta is managed by Peru’s Ministry of Culture through the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco, which regulates visits to balance tourism and conservation: limited daily capacity, set entry times, and, since June 1, 2024, three circuits with ten defined routes.
For the Incas, the landscape was part of the sacred. The Panoramic Circuit reveals the guardian mountains—the apus—revered for their telluric and cosmological nature, and the architecture seems to extend the rock itself: UNESCO describes the work as the result of an exceptional integration with its environment, “as if it were an extension of nature.” The visitor regulations expressly protect the sacred character of the Llaqta.
Among the most emblematic spaces are the Sacred Plaza—formed by the Main Temple and the Temple of the Three Windows—the Sacred Rock, the Temple of the Condor, the Temple of the Sun, and the Intiwatana, a monolithic sculpture that PromPerú associates with the measurement of time. Because each route covers specific sectors, it is worth checking which spaces are included in the route you choose.
The sanctuary is also a haven of biodiversity, at the transition between the high Andean mountains and the cloud forests that descend toward the Amazon. According to PromPerú, 370 types of orchids have been recorded there—about 20% of the species identified in Peru—as well as more than 420 bird species, including the Andean cock-of-the-rock and the Andean condor.
