The city of Machu Picchu is the department of Cuzco’s most important tourist attraction. Discovered in 1911 by the American explorer, Hiram Bingham, this city is considered to be one of the most extraordinary examples of scenic architecture in the world.

The city of Machu Picchu itself was built at the top of a granite mountain. The Incas, using ingenious engineering techniques, were able to transport heavy stone blocks up the mountainside, and once there, they used their excellent masonry skills to produce amazingly polished stones that fit together perfectly.
The city is divided into two architectural sectors or districts:
the agricultural sector, which is surrounded by a series of agricultural terraces that differ in type and size and might have performed two chief functions, one being crop growing and the other protection from water erosion caused by intense rains. Within the agricultural sector are five storehouse-like structures, called collpas or granaries.

The urban sector: the physical separation between this sector and the agricultural is a dry moat, and from this site you can also see a rather long stairway leading to the main gate. One of the features of an Incan city (llaqta) is that the main architectural elements are found within this sector. And in the case of Machu Picchu, the city is shaped as a letter U. To the North is a large sub-sector, religious due to the number of temples there, and to the South is a group of homes and workshops built on terraced platforms that Hiram Bingham christened the military group. The eternal guardian of the Sanctuary, Wayna Picchu (meaning “young mountain” in Quechua) towers over the Incan city.

To conquer its summit is truly an unforgettable experience. Along the route and at the top are sacred structures and eye-catching terraces, built right against the slope’s edge.

The Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu encompasses 32,520 hectares, which contain unique flora and fauna. Local flora in the reserve of Machu Picchu includes pisonayes, q’ofias, alisos, puya palm trees, ferns and an estimated 300 species of orchids- of which only 260 species have been identified and classified.

Due to the rugged nature of the land only 35% of the territory has been studied; further investigation could reveal many surprises. The lie of the land, the natural surroundings and the strategic locations of Machu Picchu, lend this sanctuary a fusion of beauty, harmony and balance between the work of the ancient Peruvians and the whims of nature. Thanks to the diversity of the micro regions within the Machu Picchu Reserve, an impressive variety of wild animals can be found in the area. 375 species of birds have been identified, of which 200 can easily be observed while hiking. The Cock-of-the-Rock is Peru’s national bird, and the male is the only one with all the bright distinctive colors. The Sanctuary’s thousands of acres are home to the shy, endangered Andean Bear (Tremarctus ornatus) locally known as the "Spectacled Bear".

The majestic Salcantay (6 271 meters high) dominates the landscape. This mountain is venerated by the inhabitants of the area. It is considered as an “Apu” or a tutelary divinity.

Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As Peru’s most visited tourist attraction and major revenue generator, it is continually threatened by economic and commercial forces. Yearly visits to Machu Picchu, Peru’s top tourist destination, have more than doubled since 1998 to 800,000 people, and conservationists advising UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee warn that landslides, fires and creeping development threaten the site.

Tourist interests

The drawbridge

This singular drawbridge is part of one of the most dangerous trails in the city. The trail begins in the "Building with Ten Windows" to the south of the citadel. It is a narrow path daringly located on the flanks of a granite mountain.

The 1-½ mile pathway is abruptly interrupted after a hairpin bend, giving way to a precipice, spanned by a narrow drawbridge made of logs. The wooden bridge is anchored in a fissure in the stone pathway. Thus, the logs are easily removable in case of danger. The bridge and the path were built taking proper safety measures into account.

Intipuncu or the Gate of the Sun

Following the path leading to Machu Picchu to the south-east, approximately 1 ½ miles away, tourists can reach the so called Intipunku or Intipuncu, which stands for "Gate of the Sun". It was originally a fortress of the sacred city, reached through the still accessible "inti ñan" or "royal path". It is interesting to note the presence of altars or resting stones, which could have had a liturgical purpose, since Bingham called the facades, which were built at intervals, "ritual stations". Intipuncu is an important archaeological site with floating rooms and paths, consisting of lozas (flat slabs of rock) emerging as projections from the mountainsides.

Mandor Waterfall

It is an unforgettable adventure. It is an area of lush forest surrounding the town of Machu Picchu. You just have to follow the railway line from Machu Picchu Pueblo for a 45 minute-hike. You will reach a railway crossing, from which you will see a small group of houses whose dwellers will tell you how to reach Mandor Waterfall.

Thermal Baths

The Hot Springs offer the necessary infrastructure and are one of the main natural resources for medical therapy, being an ideal treatment mode for ailments such as rheumatism. They also provide a great way to relax, get rid of stress and toxins, enhance your metabolism and avoid high blood pressure, among their other properties.

Huayna Picchu or Wayna Picchu is the high peak behind Machu Picchu, seen on most photographs

The eternal guardian of the Sanctuary, Wayna Picchu (meaning “young mountain” in Quechua) towers over the Incan city. To conquer its summit is truly an unforgettable experience. Along the route and at the top are sacred structures and eye-catching terraces, built right against the slope’s edge. It is possible to begin the ascent from Machu Picchu’s main square by way of a path the Incas themselves made. Today, it is well marked and in good condition. The view from Wayna Picchu is remarkable: Machu Picchu spread out in all its glory, the Vilcanota River Canyon, and the surrounding mountains. Be prepared for a tough two to three hour climb.

Side constructions.

On the top of Huayna Picchu one can observe many structures such as terraces, small surrounding walls, finely worked rocks, paths and tunnels, all of these well made. On the way lie other archaeological sites located

The surroundings.

Other edifices and structures complete the Incan presence on the Huayna Picchu. A group of Andean terraces stand in front of the Temple of the Moon. They measure more than 164 feet long and 6.5 feet high, linked together with stone stairs. You will also find individual edifices on two floors, called canchas, and other groups of terraces and constructions. Altogether eight archaeological sites are found on the mountain.

Temple of the Moon.

If you set off from the Machu Picchu main square and trek for three hours along this path, you will come to this fascinating temple, where the three planes of Incan religion are depicted: the Hanan Pacha (the heavens, or world of above), the Kay Pacha (the earth, or physical life), and the Ukju Pacha (the underworld, or world of below), represented respectively by the condor, the puma, and the snake. The site is made up of stonemasonry and a cave that has been architecturally enhanced. The temple gets its name from the way moonlight radiates inside the cave at night. In the center of the cave is a throne carved out of rock. Beside the throne are steps that lead deeper into the cave. It is thought that the caves were used to hold mummies. The trail that leads from the summit of Huayna Picchu to the Temple and the Great Cave is very exposed and can be quite slippery.

Located in the heart of the Eastern Sector and in a very protected location, accessible by a series of stairways and passages is the Temple of the Sun.

The curved walls surround a carved crest of stone that must have been considered highly sacred. Do not confuse this with the Intihuatana, or the “Hitching Post of the Sun.” The Temple of the Sun was used as a solar observatory and this unique complex is the only round building at Machu Picchu. At sunrise during the summer solstice, the sun’s rays flood through the window and illuminate the tower with a precision only the Incas could have executed.
Also known as “Torreon,” the temple presents a spectacular semicircular wall and carved steps that fit seamlessly into the existing surface of a natural boulder, forming some sort of altar. Although access inside the temple is not permitted, the outside architecture is spectacular in and of itself.
The temple displays some of Machu Picchu’s most superb stonework, and has a window from which the June solstice sunrise and constellation of Pleiades can be observed. In Andean culture the Pleiades continues to be an important astronomical symbol, and the locals use the constellation to calculate the arrival of the rains and to determine the best time of year to plant crops.

Next to the Temple of the Sun is the Chamber of the Princess and below the temple is The Royal Tomb.

Hiram Bingham was an American historian from the Yale University, who came across Machu Picchu rather accidentally when conducting expeditions in the Peruvian Andes, searching for Vitcos, one of the last Inca cities that resisted the Spanish invasion.

The historian was driven by the desire to find the last city of the Incas; he had also heard rumors from Cuzco University’s North American rector about the existence of uncovered ruins in the Urubamba Jungle. Bingham conducted extensive research in the regions of the Urubamba and Vilcabamba, when he made the astonishing discovery of in 1911, July 24th, when he met a group of Quechuans who were actually living in Machu Picchu, also using the agricultural terraces there.

On July 23, Bingham and his party camped by the river at a place called Mandor Pampa, where they aroused the curiosity of Melchor Arteaga, a local farmer who leased the land there. Through Sergeant Carrasco, the policeman who was his guide and interpreter, Bingham learned from Arteaga that there were extensive ruins on top of the ridge opposite the camp, which Arteaga, in his native Quechua, called Machu Picchu, or “Old Mountain”.

According to Bingham, "The morning of July 24th dawned in a cold drizzle. Arteaga shivered and seemed inclined to stay in his hut. I offered to pay him well if he showed me the ruins. He demurred and said it was too hard a climb for such a wet day. But when he found I was willing to pay him a sol, three or four times the ordinary daily wage, he finally agreed to go. When asked just where the ruins were, he pointed straight up to the top of the mountain. No one supposed that they would be particularly interesting, and no one cared to go with me." Accompanied only by Sergeant Carrasco and Arteaga, Bingham left the camp around 10 am on the 24th July 1911. After a short while the party crossed a bridge so unnerving that the intrepid explorer was reduced to crawling across it on his hands and knees. From the river they climbed a precipitous slope until they reached the ridge at around midday.

Here Bingham rested at a small hut where they enjoyed the hospitality of a group of campesinos. They told him that they had been living there for about four years and explained that they had found an extensive system of terraces on whose fertile soil they had decided to grow their crops. Bingham was then told that the ruins he sought were close by and he was given a guide, the 11-year old Pablito Alvarez, to lead him there.

Almost immediately, he was greeted by the sight of a broad sweep of ancient terraces. They numbered more than a hundred and had recently been cleared of forest and reactivated. Led by the boy, he re-entered the forest beyond the terraces. Here young Pablito began to reveal to Bingham a series of white granite walls, which the historian immediately judged to be the finest examples of masonry that he had ever seen. They were in fact, the remains of what we call today the Royal Tomb, the Main Temple, and the Temple of the Three Windows.