What Is Machu Picchu? The Inca Citadel in Peru Explained

What Is Machu Picchu in Simple Terms?

Machu Picchu is the stone ruins of an Inca town built around 1450 on a mountain saddle in the Peruvian Andes. It includes temples, palaces, homes, plazas and farming terraces, linked by stairways and water channels. The site was left behind within about a century and later became world famous.

About 200 buildings remain, many made of granite blocks fitted without mortar. Nature, engineering and sacred design meet here, which is why Machu Picchu is considered a masterpiece of Inca architecture.

Where Is Machu Picchu Located?

Machu Picchu is located in southern Peru, in the Cusco Region, on a ridge between Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayna Picchu, high above the Urubamba River. It lies about 47 miles (75 km) northwest of the city of Cusco in a straight line, near the town of Aguas Calientes, where the Andes meet the Amazon cloud forest.

No road connects it to Cusco, so most visitors arrive by train and bus. Maps of the route and the ruins are in our guide to the Machu Picchu map and site layout.

What Does the Name Machu Picchu Mean?

Machu Picchu means Old Mountain or Old Peak in Quechua, the language of the Incas still spoken in Peru. The name comes from the mountain beside the ruins. Historians who studied colonial documents believe the Incas may have called the site Huayna Picchu or simply Picchu.

The correct pronunciation sounds like MAH-choo PEEK-choo. Saying PEE-choo, without the k sound, changes the meaning in Quechua, which is a common mistake visitors hear corrected.

Why Was Machu Picchu Built?

Machu Picchu was most likely built as a royal estate for Pachacuti, the Inca ruler who expanded the empire in the 1400s. It served as a retreat for the emperor's family and court, a religious center tied to the sun, mountains and water, and a show of imperial power over the region.

Its temples align with solstices, and the setting between sacred peaks mattered to Inca religion. The full story of how and when it was built and abandoned is in our Machu Picchu history guide.

Why Is Machu Picchu So Famous?

Machu Picchu is famous because it survived largely intact, unlike most Inca sites that Spanish colonists looted or rebuilt. Its dramatic mountain setting, precise stonework and mystery made it an icon after 1911, when Hiram Bingham's photographs in National Geographic introduced it to the world. It was voted a New Seven Wonder in 2007.

• Never found by the Spanish: Original layout and buildings survived
• Engineering: Mortarless walls, terraces and drainage still work
• Setting: Ridge between peaks, wrapped in cloud forest
• Global recognition: UNESCO listing in 1983, New Seven Wonders in 2007
• Accessibility: Visitable by train and bus or on foot via the Inca Trail

Surprising details about the site are collected in our list of Machu Picchu facts.

What Can You See at Machu Picchu?

At Machu Picchu you can see the agricultural terraces and guardhouse viewpoint, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Intihuatana stone, the Main Plaza, the Temple of the Condor and residential areas. Extra hikes lead to Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu Mountain, the Sun Gate and the Inca Bridge.

Which of these you see depends on your ticket route; our guide to the Machu Picchu circuits explains each option.

Can You Visit Machu Picchu Today?

You can visit Machu Picchu today with a timed entry ticket bought in advance, usually on a guided visit. Most travelers fly to Cusco, take a train to Aguas Calientes and ride a bus up to the gate, or hike the Inca Trail. Daily visitor numbers are capped to protect the site.

Start with our guide on how to get to Machu Picchu and the guide to buying Machu Picchu tickets. A guided Machu Picchu day trip from Cusco handles the train, bus, entry and guide in one booking.

Alongside this What Is Machu Picchu guide, you can also compare all our Machu Picchu tours side by side, from one-day visits to multi-day treks.

To see the citadel's sacred core up close, start with the Intihuatana stone at Machu Picchu and the hidden Inca Bridge cliff trail.