Machu Picchu's history

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Machu Picchu throughout the centuries

What was going on "up there" before the Spanish conquest, when Incas roamed the hidden city?

What do we know for certain and what can more we learn about Machu Picchu's glorious days?

Perhaps this article will unveil part of the myst around the past of the "Old Peak"...

Why hide the city so high on top of a mountain?

Archaeologists believe that the city of Machu Picchu was constructed around the 13th and 15th centuries. Most evidence points out to the late 1400s, therefore, most specialists consider the construction to have been started by Inca ruler called Sapa Inca Pachacuti around the 1440s.

It was constructed at a height of 2.350 meters (7.710 feet) on top of a steep mountain in the Urubamba Jungle, overlooking the Urubamba River, which flows in the valley with the same name.

The Incas wanted to create a remote city and they did a great job in choosing the location. It could have been a religious place or a hidden residence of rich Incas or just a city that was forgotten in time, no-one knows for sure, but what is almost certain that even while it was in use, Machu Picchu lay hidden even from most of the Incas, not just potential enemies in the area.

The place where the "Old Peak" is located was easy to protect from attacking jungle tribes and also offered a great view over the valley below, allowing the Incas to see everything that was going on down there. The enemy though, could not see that there was a city on top of the mountain, which was steep and covered with dense vegetation.

Today, we can see fields in the middle of the Vilcanota River's valley, even grassy mountain sides, but during the height of the Inca Empire, the area was more densely covered with forests. Wild animals (such as poisonous snakes, insects and jaguars) could have prevented anyone from wondering deeper upwards.

If Machu Picchu as an imperial residence, then it's likely to have been kept secret even from other Incas.

What is interesting is that it was left by its residents a long time before Pizarro's forces arrived in the area. The reason is not known, even more interesting is the fact that very few skeletons have been found in comparison to how many people could have lived in Machu Picchu. Therefore, certainly many of them have left the city and even afterwards, the kept the secret well.

How did Machu Picchu survive so well?

Machu Picchu's rooftops collapsed, because they were made of branches covered tops made of hay-like materials. It would be interesting if the original rooftops were reconstructed. The whole cityscape would change.

Most of the stones used are perfectly in place, even today, but tourism is deteriorating the city fast.

Being hidden from the Spaniards saved Machu Picchu from attacks, but its hard rocks were the ones that ensured its conservation for further centuries.

Laying covered by dense vegetation for 500 years might have also contributed to the good conservation. Plants and earth could have prevented large quantities of rain water from showering the city periodically. It's not that much the deep vegetation, but the water that destroys.

What was Machu Picchu's purpose and who lived there?

Some specialists believe that Machu Picchu served as some sort of religious gathering place, a holy place.

Others affirm that it was a imperial residence, perhaps the great Emperor Pachacuti might have lived here. However, this is less likely, because there should have been more impressive structures, larger buildings for special people, like the ruler and his family.

We know for certain that hundreds of people could have lived up there in isolation. The agricultural terraces and the aqueducts were enough to ensure the live of a small community of several big families. Perhaps, indeed, it was several families who have retreated into this high plateau to live a more isolated, perhaps safer life?

The presence of many temples in the city underlines the religious importance of Machu Picchu. But this solely does not mean that it was a religious sanctuary or holy place. In Europe too, cities were full of churches with high towers, some cities had more churches than others and it still didn't make them religious cities. What we have to understand it that Incas were deeply religious, as ancient people were in general.

Many priests and rich Incas could have lived here in isolation, but there are also signs of the presence of lower rank people, like agricultural workers, who lived in the smaller houses, closer to the terraces.

Scientists have determined that approximately 750 people could have lived in good conditions on top of the mountain using the 140 buildings. Check our article about Machu Picchu's population for details about the people who lived there.

The city was self sufficient, well hidden, therefore several generations could have passed until the population has left it. It is possible that Machu Picchu was inhabited for 50 to 100 years (taking account of its possible construction period and when the population might have left it).

It is likely that those people who have built it all died out, possibly even their children have grown to adulthood, got old and died, leaving behind a 3rd generation who might not have felt the interest or might not have had the possibility to live there anymore and left the city.