What is Machupicchu … The Historic Sanctuary – National Archaeological Park of Machupicchu (SHM-PANM) is a cultural and natural area inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. With an area of 37,302 hectares, it is one of the areas with the greatest biodiversity in Peru and houses more than 60 archaeological monuments articulated by a complex network of Inka roads.
The most important monument of the SHM-PANM is the llaqta or Inka City of Machupicchu, which was planned and built around the year 1450 AD. during the government of the Inka Pachakuti. The work required the participation of specialists in architecture, engineering and astronomy, as well as a large amount of labor. More than 50% of the effort required in its construction was used in the preparation of the land, foundation and drainage system. Its construction responds to the need of the Inka State to have a religious, political and administrative center within a sacred space considered the nexus between the Andes and the Amazon.
The Llaqta of Machupicchu was abandoned during the second half of the 16th century; however, it was never lost as it was occasionally visited and inhabited. There are colonial documents that refer to the Llaqta of Machupicchu as the “Seat of the Incas” or the “Ancient Town of the Inga Named Guaynapicchu”. In 1874, the engineer Herman Göhring drew up a cartographic document in which the place names “Machu Picchu” and “Huaina Picchu” are presented for the first time. In 1911, Professor Hiram Bingham visited the llaqta and was struck by its beauty and majesty. The following year, he returned with a multidisciplinary team of professionals who carried out excavations and investigations in the area.
Since the 1930s, the Peruvian State has been promoting the research, conservation and enhancement of the Historic Sanctuary and the Llaqta de Machupicchu, which represents a masterpiece of art, architecture and engineering in perfect harmony with nature and results the most important legacy of the Inka civilization to humanity. (Source: Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco).