A Brief History of Machu Picchu

How much do you know about Machu Picchu history? This post covers a brief history of the who, what, why, where and how of one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

It is one of the most visited places on Earth to the point that it sparks debates on “overtourism”. If you are reading this, you have undoubtedly seen many pictures of it on social media. But how much do you actually know about Machu Picchu?

Here is a quick history lesson on Machu Picchu and the people who built this Wonder of the World.

A woman in a straw hat and sunglasses sits and smiles with Machu Picchu visible in the background.

What is Machu Picchu?

Machu Picchu is a 15^th century citadel nestled high within the Peruvian Andes. According to popular belief, Machu Picchu, was built as a retreat for the Inca emperor and his entourage.

The impressive ancient citadel and its natural surroundings earned designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. In an international vote, people chose Machu Picchu as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007. It also the most popular icon of the Inca Empire.

A lady in a straw hat and sunglasses takes a selfie at Machu Picchu.

Portrait orientated picture of Machu Picchu.

At its peak, about 750 people lived at Machu Picchu. Most of these citizens lived there to maintain the grounds for the Inca emperor and his family. Some lived in Machu Picchu for the well-being and enjoyment of the emperor (ex. religious specialists).

The terraces at the agricultural sector of Machu Picchu. The Guard House is visible up top. — Terraces in the agricultural sector with the Guard House visible up top.

Who were the Incas?

The Incas had the largest empire in the Americas before the Spanish Conquest. They had the most sophisticated political and administrative structure in the continent at that time.

The Three Doorways Sector of Machu Picchu. — Three Doorways Sector – east side of the Main Plaza. It is composed of a group of small plazas, water channels, streets linked by stairways, and terraced retaining walls.

The Incas didn’t have a written language. Architectural marvels like Machu Picchu provide a lot of what we know about the Inca civilization. There, the Incas’ advanced understanding of civil and hydraulic engineering can be studied.

A lady in a straw hat and sunglasses sits in front of a mountain. — Sitting on the rock quarry at Machu Picchu.

One of the most fascinating things about Machu Picchu is that the Incas built into the mountains without the use of wheels or mortar. The Incas had a technique for cutting stone so precisely that a credit card cannot be inserted between the blocks. No one has been able to replicate this technique yet.

Close up view of Inca stone wall at Machu Picchu. — Close up view of the walls at the Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu. The stones are placed with no mortar and are cut so precisely that a credit card couldn’t fit through the cracks.

Machu Picchu straddles 2 fault lines within an earthquake prone country. Earthquakes have leveled modern cities like Lima and Cusco, but Machu Picchu has remained intact. During earthquakes, the stone walls of Machu Picchu appear to “dance”. Meaning, the tremors cause the stones to bounce but they fall back into place once the earthquake subsides. Without a doubt, the main structures at Machu Picchu would have been lost a long time ago had it not been for the ingenuity of the Incas.

Temple of Three Windows at Machu Picchu. — Walls are said to “dance” when tremors hit Machu Picchu because of the Incas’ unique building technique.

What happened to the Inca Empire?

Machu Picchu was in use only for a little under 100 years.

Close up shot of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu shortly after sunrise.

Small pox from modern day Panama swept the Inca Empire. The Spaniards introduced smallpox and other diseases to the New World. Among its casualties were the Inca Emperor and his heir.

Main Plaza at Machu Picchu with llamas grazing.

Huascar, one of the former Emperor’s sons, was crowned Emperor. Paranoid that his brother Atahualpa would overthrow him, Huascar waged war on his brother which started the Inca Civil War. Atahualpa would ultimately win and become Emperor. Atahualpa executed several potential pretenders to the throne which further divided loyalties within the Empire.

The Spaniards watched all this chaos from the sidelines. On 1532, they decided to take advantage of the political upheaval. The conquistadors captured Atahualpa in a surprise attack that baffled the Incas (who did all their fighting out in the open).

A woman stands in the middle of ruins at Machu Picchu.

Afraid that Huascar would use the Spaniards to reclaim the throne, Atahualpa ordered the execution of Huascar while in captivity. Atahualpa also promised the Spaniards gold and silver and emeralds in exchange for his freedom. The Spaniards accepted Atahualpa’s “treasures” but ended up executing him anyway after a mock trial for Huascar’s murder.

Qoricancha museum with original Inca room within the Convento Santo Domingo in Cusco, Peru — The remains of Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun) in Cusco. All the gold that covered its walls were melted down and given to the Spaniards as part of Atahualpa’s ransom. The Spaniards executed Atahualpa anyway.

After Atahualpa’s death, the Spaniards pillaged the Inca temples and palaces in Cusco. They claimed the prime estates for themselves and used the Inca walls as foundation for their colonial-style buildings. The Spaniards allowed a new puppet Inca Emperor to rule the Empire and this all marked the beginning of the end for the Inca Empire.

Exterior of Convento de Santo Domingo in Cusco, Peru with the remains of the Qorikancha visible at its base. — The remains of Qorikancha (the Incas’ Temple of the Sun) is visible at the base of Convent of Santo Domingo.

Why did the Incas abandon Machu Picchu?

One popular theory is that an outbreak of small pox led to the population decline in Machu Picchu.

The capture of Atahualpa, which started the Spanish Conquest, led to the breakdown of the political and economic order in the Empire. Many of Atahualpa’s enemies seized the opportunity to start uprisings, break off alliances, and abandon the Incas’ administrative centres to return to their native homes. Machu Picchu is one such administrative centre.

The Incas gradually abandoned Machu Picchu due to the lack of overseers on site and its distance from the Sacred Valley.

Up close shot of the agricultural sector of Machu Picchu.

Five years after Atahualpa’s death, the Incas abandoned the Sacred Valley. They would reestablish a new Neo-Inca State in Vilcabamba in defiance of the Spaniards. Before doing so, the Incas razed their own cities and destroyed parts of their own roads. They did this to prevent the Spaniards from pillaging the Incas’ treasures.

View of Patallaqta Ruins on the first leg of the Inca Trail Day 1 — Patallaqta – one of the many ruins found along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. This settlement was burned down by the Incas themselves when they were retreating from Cusco during the Spanish Conquest.

This tactic worked for protecting Machu Picchu. The Spaniards never found it and therefore didn’t get the opportunity to loot and deface it. Eventually, Machu Picchu would be forgotten by the World and would only be known to locals for nearly 400 years. The jungle would start to reclaim the site.

A lady poses in the middle of ruins at Machu Picchu.

As for the Incas, their Neo-Inca State would continue to exist for another 36 years after Atahualpa’s execution. The Spaniards would eventually destroy Vilcabamba and publicly execute Tupac Amaru (the last Neo-Inca Emperor and namesake of rapper Tupac Shakur). All records of Vilcabamba’s location would be destroyed. The conquistadors would systematically destroy many aspects of the Inca culture, as well.

The “Rediscovery” of Machu Picchu

In 1911, a Yale history professor named Hiram Bingham III travelled to the Sacred Valley region. He was looking for Vilcabamba – the lost city of the Incas. A local villager named Melchor Arteaga guided Bingham to some Inca ruins known to the locals within the area. Arteaga led Bingham across the Urubamba River and up the Huayna Picchu mountain.

A woman in a straw hat and sunglasses smiles in front of the Huayna Picchu mountain. — Huayna Picchu is the mountain directly behind Machu Picchu. Spot the Inca temple and terrace remnants at its crown.

Once up the Huayna Picchu, Bingham and Arteaga met a couple who had cleared some of the agricultural terraces of (what we know today) as Machu Picchu and had been farming the land. The couple’s 11 year old son was very familiar with the ruins and showed Bingham around.

Note: the Machu Picchu archaeological site and sanctuary is named after the mountain on which it was built. We may never know what the Incas actually called Machu Picchu as they didn’t have a written language.

A lady poses at Machu Picchu with lush, rolling mountains in the backdrop.

The full extent of the archaeological site was hard to determine at that time. This was because the jungle had reclaimed much of Machu Picchu. Bingham took photographs at the ruins and brought them back to America, claiming to have found “The Lost City of the Incas”.

A lady looks down from a terrace on the Machu Picchu site.

How did Machu Picchu become world famous?

Of course, Bingham was wrong about Machu Picchu being Vilcabamba. Bingham would ultimately find Vilcabamba, though he didn’t realize it during his lifetime. Nonetheless, Bingham’s photographs taken at Machu Picchu secured the support of Yale and the National Geographic Society, leading to the organization of expeditions to the site in 1912, 1914, and 1915.

A plaque at the main entrance commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hiram Bingham III’s rediscovery of Machu Picchu.

It is believed that the character Indiana Jones is partly inspired by Hiram Bingham III. He is responsible for bringing the rest of the world’s awareness to Machu Picchu and the great Inca Empire. Because of Bingham’s mistaken belief that Machu Picchu is Vilcabamba, the “Lost City of the Incas” nickname for Machu Picchu stuck even after Bingham’s theories were disproven in the 1960s. Nevertheless, Bingham’s expeditions to South America captured the imagination of many wannabe explorers and inspired many to visit Machu Picchu. This is true today as it was then.

A tourist poses at Machu Picchu. — A wannabe explorer at Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu is considered to be one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It is the perfect juxtaposition between nature and the accomplishment of mankind. In fact, it is designated as both a cultural and natural heritage site by UNESCO. Machu Picchu truly is a unique spectacle that is breathtaking with a mind blowing history to match.