When Was Machu Picchu Built? Tracing the History of the Cloud City

When was Machu Picchu built? Machu Picchu was built around the year 1420 AD, according to radiocarbon dating done in 2021. It was ordered by the Inca emperor Pachacutec and worked as a royal estate and ceremonial center for about 110 years, until it was abandoned around 1530.

This question continues to fascinate archaeologists, historians, and researchers from all over the world. For centuries, Machu Picchu has been an enigmatic and mysterious place, not only because of its impressive construction, but also because of its remote and strategic location high in the Andes. Its unique design and location raise the question: How did the Incas manage to build such an extraordinary site in such a challenging environment?

Traditionally, scholars have attributed the construction of Machu Picchu to Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui, the ninth ruler of the Inca Empire. Known simply as Pachacutec, he was a brilliant military strategist and a visionary leader who greatly expanded the Inca territory and established the vast empire known as the Tahuantinsuyo.

When Was Machu Picchu Built?

With the arrival of the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century, Machu Picchu was mysteriously abandoned by its inhabitants. For centuries it remained hidden and untouched in the mountains, unknown to the outside world. The reasons for its abandonment are still debated: Was it a disease? A strategic retreat? Or perhaps a change in its political or religious importance?

Determining exactly when Machu Picchu was built and who ordered its construction has long been a complex enigma. According to the 2021 study that used advanced radiocarbon dating (ARC) on human remains found at the site, researchers now believe that Machu Picchu was built as early as the year 1420 AD, at least 30 years earlier than previously thought. This revised timeline challenges the traditional timeline of the Inca Empire and suggests that Pachacutec might have started his monumental building projects earlier than believed.

In addition, these findings suggest that the Inca Empire might have emerged earlier and that some of its rulers might have held power for longer periods than the historical records indicate. This discovery invites us to reevaluate Inca history and highlights how much is left to learn about this extraordinary civilization.

Machu Picchu continues to captivate the imagination, not only as an architectural wonder, but also as a symbol of a powerful empire whose secrets are still being discovered gradually.

Machu Picchu was built

When was Machu Picchu built?

A team of researchers led by Richard Burger, a professor at Yale University, carried out a study of the human remains found in Machu Picchu, the famous Inca citadel. The study was published in August 2021 in the scientific journal Antiquity. The results reveal that the site is at least thirty years older than believed, a small but meaningful difference, since it questions the accepted timeline for the development and expansion of the Inca empire.

The dating was done using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), a very precise technology that had not yet been used in Machu Picchu and that allows the analysis of bone remains with very little preserved organic material. The results indicate that the citadel was in use at least since 1420, although it is unknown if the analyzed human remains belonged to a settler or a builder. This difference is important because each scenario would answer a different question: if the remains belong to a builder, the date would confirm the very beginning of the construction; if they belong to a settler or later occupant, the date would only confirm that the site was already inhabited at that time, without specifying exactly when it was built. For now, the researchers can only say with certainty that the site was already in use around 1420.

This contradicts the timeline according to which Machu Picchu was built around 1450 at the request of the Inca Pachacutec after his conquest of the Urubamba valley. The analysis of the found remains determines a permanent occupation of the citadel from 1420 to 1530, the year in which the civil war broke out between Huascar and Atahualpa for the control of the Inca throne (1529-1532), a conflict that weakened the empire just before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors and that the researchers point out as the most likely context for the abandonment of the site.

A longer history

Richard Burger, the main author of the study published in the Antiquity magazine, explains that until now the dates used for Machu Picchu came from Spanish chronicles written after the conquest, which often contradicted each other. Instead, thanks to accelerator mass spectrometry, this time it was possible to date the organic remains with a margin of error of just 20 years. It is the first study that manages to establish, with a solid scientific base, a reliable date for the origin of the citadel.

These results force us to rethink a lot of what was believed about this part of Inca history. The most likely conclusion is that Emperor Pachacutec came to power earlier than thought (it was believed to be in 1438) and that his expansion campaigns also started earlier. This means that the very origin of the Inca Empire could be older than what was taught until now. Something that supports this idea is that no pottery from styles before the Inca period has been found in Machu Picchu, which confirms that the site was built already within that imperial expansion.

The most probable explanation for this margin of error is that the dates recorded by the Spanish chroniclers simply were not completely accurate. This also suggests that the Inca empire existed for at least thirty more years than thought, and that some rulers could have had longer reigns than recorded, and there could even be emperors that history still does not know. For anyone visiting Machu Picchu today, they must know that they are walking among walls even older and more mysterious than what the books said.

Why was Machu Picchu built?

Knowing when Machu Picchu was built is one thing, but understanding why such a difficult place to build was chosen is a completely different story. There are at least four main reasons that help explain it (if you want to go deeper into this topic, you can see our article dedicated exclusively to the reasons behind its construction).

• The expansion of the empire
  Machu Picchu was built during the rule of Pachacutec, a time of strong territorial expansion for the Incas. As the empire grew, they needed strategic posts that represented their power in the newly conquered territories. Machu Picchu worked as an important administrative center to control the lands of the high jungle that had recently been added to the empire.
  
  
• The advantage of being on a geological fault
  Something curious and little known is that Machu Picchu was built on purpose over a zone of geological faults, specifically at the crossing with the Huanacaure fault. This, far from being a problem, was an advantage: the rock was already broken naturally, which created large granite blocks ready to be used. Also, that same geological activity forced the Incas to build walls with a slope that resists earthquakes better, and created a natural drainage system that has protected the citadel from the rains for centuries.
  
  
• A stone quarry right on the site
  Thanks to that same break in the ground, there was a huge amount of stone available right at the construction site. This meant that the Incas did not have to transport heavy blocks from far away, something that would have been extremely difficult in that terrain. In fact, even today you can see half-carved rocks inside the citadel itself, proof that the stone was worked directly there.
  
  
• A multicultural workforce
  Building something of this size required a lot of workers, something that matches the way the Incas used to integrate the people they conquered. Today we know that this is not just a theory: DNA and isotope tests done on bone remains found at the site confirm that people from different cultures, including the Chachapoyas and the Cañaris, took part in the construction of Machu Picchu.

How was Machu Picchu built?

Understanding how Machu Picchu was built is one of the questions that most awakens the curiosity of those who visit this place. The Incas used a technique known as dry stone walling, or "ashlar". It consisted of carving the granite blocks with such precision that they fit perfectly together, without the need to use cement or any type of mortar. The result is a joint so exact that, even today, it is impossible to insert a knife blade between the stones.

The most impressive thing is that they achieved this without knowing iron or other strong metals. To carve the blocks, they used harder stones, such as hematite, along with bronze tools and wet sand to polish the surface by friction. It was slow, but extremely precise work.

Transporting the stones was also quite a challenge. The Incas did not have the wheel, and llamas could not carry blocks of several tons. So everything was moved by human strength, using logs as rollers, wooden levers, and ropes made of plant fibers to drag the stones from the quarry to the construction site.

To lift the heaviest blocks and build the walls and temples, the Incas set up dirt and rubble ramps that went up little by little along with the construction, allowing them to push the stones to the necessary height. Thanks to this very careful engineering, Machu Picchu has managed to resist earthquakes for centuries, something that continues to surprise those who visit the place today.

Who really discovered Machu Picchu?

The best-known version says it was Hiram Bingham, an American explorer and academic who arrived at the place in 1911 with the support of Yale University. Guided by rumors about a lost Inca city, Bingham went into the Urubamba canyon, documented the site, took the first photographs, and, thanks to the National Geographic magazine, made Machu Picchu known to the whole world.

But saying that Bingham "discovered" Machu Picchu does not tell the whole story. For the communities that lived in that valley, this place was never lost. In fact, there are records that the Peruvian farmer Agustín Lizárraga had already explored the ruins in 1902, almost ten years before Bingham's arrival, and even left his name engraved on one of the walls of the Temple of the Three Windows as proof of his passing through there.

Moreover, when Bingham finally arrived at the place, he already found two local families, the Álvarezes and the Rechartes, who lived right there and farmed the land on the ancient Inca terraces. In fact, it was Melchor Arteaga, a local community member, who guided Bingham through the jungle to the summit where the citadel is located.

So, although history books still recognize Bingham as the "discoverer", the fairest thing would be to say that his true merit was documenting the place and making it known to the rest of the world. The rediscovery, in scientific terms, was his, but the secret of Machu Picchu was always well kept by the people who lived there.

When was it declared a World Heritage Site?

After decades of research, Machu Picchu got its most important international recognition in 1983, when UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. Furthermore, this declaration is quite special because it recognizes the site both for its cultural value, as a masterpiece of Inca architecture, and for its natural value, since it protects unique species of the high jungle area.

Later on, the big jump to world fame came in 2007, when Machu Picchu was chosen as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the Modern World", thanks to a global vote in which more than a hundred million people participated.

Consequently, after this second recognition, the number of visitors grew enormously, turning Machu Picchu into one of the most visited destinations on the entire continent. Therefore, nowadays it is important to book your ticket well in advance if you want to secure your visit.

Frequently asked questions about Machu Picchu

• When was Machu Picchu built and abandoned?
  According to the most recent radiocarbon studies, the building began around the year 1420. The citadel worked as a royal shelter for about a century, until it was abandoned near the year 1530.
  
  
• Who ordered the building of Machu Picchu?
  It was the Inca Pachacutec who ordered its construction, as part of his strategy to consolidate power over the territories that the empire had recently conquered.
  
  
• How long did it take to build it?
  It is estimated that the construction took between 50 and 60 years. In fact, the project was never completely finished: when the city was abandoned, there were still areas under construction.
  
  
• Why was Machu Picchu abandoned?
  It was not because of a direct invasion, but because of the consequences of the civil war between Huascar and Atahualpa. The political instability that this conflict generated forced the site to be abandoned shortly before the empire collapsed completely.
  
  
• Did the Spanish manage to discover Machu Picchu?
  No, they never did. Thanks to its remote location and how well hidden it is among the vegetation of the high jungle, the Spanish conquerors never found this place, which allowed it to stay intact for centuries.