Construction of Machu Picchu
Perched on a narrow ridge between two Andean peaks at 2,430 meters altitude, Machu Picchu is the best-preserved and most architecturally sophisticated surviving example of Inca construction. Carbon dating and ceramic evidence suggest the site was built primarily under Pachacuti in the mid-fifteenth century, likely as a royal llaqta — an estate providing resources and ceremonial space for the Sapa Inca and his household. The construction achievement was extraordinary given that all materials had to be transported to a ridge accessible only by steep mountain paths, without wheeled vehicles or iron tools. The builders used ashlar masonry — stones cut to fit together without mortar — an earthquake-resistant technique that has allowed the buildings to survive five centuries of Andean earthquakes largely intact. Over 600 terraces were carved into the mountain slopes. The site was abandoned following the Spanish conquest and remained unknown to the wider world until Hiram Bingham III reached it in July 1911, guided by local farmers who had never stopped farming its terraces.
- Year: 1450 CE
- Category: Cultural
