Machu Picchu is a 15th century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru, on a mountain ridge at an elevation of 2,430 meters. It sits in the Machupicchu District of Urubamba Province, about 80 kilometers northwest of Cusco, above the Sacred Valley and along the Urubamba River, which forms a deep canyon with a subtropical mountain climate.
Facts
LocationEastern Cordillera of southern Peru, Machupicchu District, Urubamba Province 1 Architectural StyleClassical Inca dry-stone masonry 1 Building TypeInca royal citadel and estate 1 Construction UNESCO Inscription Year Current UseMost-visited international tourist destination in Peru 1 Visitor AccessOver 1.5 million visitors annually as of 2025 1 Partially Attested
Commissioned ByInca emperor Pachacuti (attributed) 1 Attributed to the Inca emperor Pachacuti by scholarly consensus; no contemporary written record names a builder. Connections
In Form
15th-century Inca citadel; no single named architect of record.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia, Machu Picchu article, lead paragraph 3, style clause
Machu Picchu was constructed in the classical Inca style, featuring finely crafted dry-stone walls.
Wikipedia, Machu Picchu article, lead paragraph 1
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru
Wikipedia, Machu Picchu article, lead paragraph 2, attribution clause
it is believed to have served as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti, though no contemporary written records exist to confirm this.
Wikipedia, Machu Picchu article, lead paragraph 4, tourism clause
making it Peru's most visited international tourist destination.
Wikipedia, Machu Picchu article, lead paragraph 1, geography clause
It is situated in the Machupicchu District of Urubamba Province about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Cusco
Wikipedia, Machu Picchu article, lead paragraph 4, designation clause
Designated a National Historic Sanctuary by Peru in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983
Wikipedia, Machu Picchu article, lead paragraph 4, visitor-count clause
As of 2025, the site receives over 1.5 million visitors annually
Wikipedia, Machu Picchu article, lead paragraph 2, date clause
Estimated to be built around 1450
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