Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, abandoned for centuries before its rediscovery in 1911.

Meet Pachacuti, the king who built Machu Picchu

In the 1400s, King Pachacuti of the Inca Empire wanted a summer resort for himself, his family, and his entourage. So he and his builders set out to build Machu Picchu, a feat of engineering, carving, construction, and more. Its 700 terraces remain intact today, while its trapezoidal stones inspire construction efforts around the world. Learn about the fascinating process of building this wonder of the world here.

Machu Picchu before it was a tourist attraction

The Machu Picchu we know today is familiar thanks to its neatly manicured plazas, lovingly preserved stone buildings, and ever-present hordes of tourists. But that’s not what Hiram Bingham saw when Melchor Arteaga led him to the site in 1911. Back then, it lay covered by centuries of tropical overgrowth.

How did the Inca build Machu Picchu?

How did the Inca, a people without iron or steel, build a city that has withstood hundreds of years of earthquakes and inclement weather? Machu Picchu stands atop steep landslide prone slopes and active fault lines and gets up to 80 inches of rain...

Scientists are still confused how Machu Picchu was built

Machu Picchu, the 15th-century Inca city high in the Andes, continues to fascinate experts with its mysteries. The methods used to transport and carve its massive stones—some weighing 15 tons—remain unclear. Theories range from hundreds of men dragging the stones to innovative techniques like using expanding wet wooden wedges for precision carving.

Machu Picchu, 101

Machu Picchu was built right on top of two intersecting fault lines, which makes it even more baffling how its temples and terraces have survived for more than 500 years—especially since no mortar was used to hold the precisely cut stones together. As this three-minute NatGeo video explains, this ingenious construction method allows the stones to bounce in place when earthquakes hit, shaking and rattling but rarely collapsing.

Sacsayhuaman, the Inca's largest structure

Less well-known but arguably more impressive than Machu Picchu is Sacsayhuamán, a 15th-century fortress-temple on the outskirts of Cusco. The site also features huge stones—some weighing more than 100 tons—carved into interlocking blocks and joined together through mortarless masonry. Archaeologists estimate it must’ve taken some 20,000 laborers to complete construction. This video offers a clickable 3D virtual-reality tour of the site.

Inca trail interactive map

Machu Picchu gets all the attention, but it’s definitely not the only Inca ruin in the area. Some dedicated trekkers opt to see the sites through a multi-day hike down the Inca Trail, which spans 26 miles from the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu and reaches elevations as high as 13,800 feet above sea level. This 3D tour gives a sneak-preview of the ruins along the route, and the intense topography.

The unsolved mysteries of Machu Picchu

Who lived there? How did they get all that granite up there? Who were the 100 bodies found buried here, and why did some of them have elongated heads? Explore eight of Machu Picchu’s unanswered questions while scrolling through panoramic, clickable street-view images of the site, in this guide from Google Arts and Culture.

The US senator who found a city in the sky

Dr. Hiram Bingham, a Yale graduate and explorer, is credited with rediscovering Machu Picchu in 1911. Financially supported by his marriage to the Tiffany jewelry heiress, Bingham ventured into the Peruvian Andes in search of the lost Inca city of Vilcabamba. Instead, guided by local farmer Melchor Arteaga, he stumbled upon the awe-inspiring ruins of Machu Picchu.

The explorer who re-discovered Machu Picchu

If there was a real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones, it may well have been Hiram Bingham, the Yale University historian who set out to find the rumored “lost city” of the Inca. This short feature from the BBC’s History magazine explains how this son of missionaries brought international renown to the site and to himself. In the process, he sparked an international feud that would last more than a century.

A virtual reality experience of Machu Picchu

If you can’t make it to the Andes, this virtual-reality experience—created using 360-degree cameras, and 3D modeling and sound design—is the next best thing. It lets you explore all the site’s major landmarks, including the Sun Temple and the Temple of the Condor, while listening to the sound of the wind whipping through the ruins, birdsong, and audio commentaries from expert guides.

Mapping tourism at Machu Picchu

Only 750 people lived at Machu Picchu at its height, but today, almost ten times that number trample through its delicate plazas and agricultural terraces every day. This data visualization vividly illustrates the skyrocketing numbers of visitors to Machu Picchu over the decades, and highlights the risks of over tourism, including soil erosion and other environmental threats, and negative social and economic impacts.

Yale returns Inca artifacts to Peru

From the time he came upon Machu Picchu in 1911, Hiram Bingham began removing artifacts and human remains from the site and bringing them back to Yale University. Yale's Peabody Museum held them for 100 years, despite demands by the Peruvian government and the public that they be repatriated. Finally, in 2011, Yale returned thousands of items, including ceramics, jewelry and human skeletons.

The original article revealing Machu Picchu to the world

After first coming upon the ruins of Machu Picchu in 1911, Hiram Bingham’s subsequent expeditions were funded by Yale University, the Peruvian government, and $10,000 from a then-young National Geographic Society—in fact, it was the first archaeological grant that NatGeo ever issued. The magazine devoted its entire April 1913 issue, all 192 pages, to Bingham and his findings. You can read that issue in its entirety here.

How the great city of Cusco came to be, according to the Inca

The chronicler Inka Garcilaso de la Vega recorded the origin story of the Inka (also spelled Inca) and the founding of Cusco, the capital of the society's great empire. Listen to the Inca origin story in this 4-minute video narrated by a child.

Why did the Spanish steal the Inca's mummies?

From inside stone palaces and atop sacred mountaintops, the Inca dead continued to wield incredible power over the living. So much so that the Spanish confiscated them. Read more about the afterlife of these mummies here.

Rediscovering the Inca Empire

In 1991, anthropologist Johan Reinhard was trekking up the snowy face of a dormant volcano when he came face to face with the mummified remains of a teenager who had been sacrificed to the Incan gods centuries earlier. The story of “Juanita the Ice Maiden” is just one of the riveting tales featured in this four-part series from the popular podcast "History Hit".

The Inca Empire: a timeline

When did the Inca Empire solidify into an empire? When was it invaded by the Spanish? What remains of it today? Click through this timeline to learn more.

Machu Picchu, sacred backdrop for your dating app pic

Anyone who’s been on Tinder or Hinge in the last decade has noticed it: the obligatory Machu Picchu selfie, almost as ubiquitous as those photos of men posing with a fresh-caught fish. How did Machu Picchu, of all places, become a dating-app cliche? This satirical essay from McSweeney’s doesn’t answer that question, but has a great time poking fun at it.

Is the Inca maiden the world's best-preserved mummy?

Found atop a snowy peak in the Andes, this teen mummy is at least 500 years old. Watch this four-minute video to see the Inca maiden, a mummy so well-preserved that small details, such as her many braids, are clearly defined.

The last Inca grass suspension bridge in Peru

High in the Peruvian Andes, the aging Q’eswachaka bridge sags precariously over the Apurímac River. It has been built and rebuilt continuously for five centuries. Read more about it here.

The decline of the Inca Empire

The Inca Empire was awash with gold, and the Spanish knew it. So what happened next? Read this BBC article to learn what happened during the last days of the Inca Empire.

What was the Great Inca Road?

In little more than 100 years, it grew from a small kingdom in the highlands of Peru to become the largest empire in the Americas. Read about the critical role played by the Great Inca Road.

Human sacrifice in the Inca Empire

In the lands ruled by the Incas, mountain deities were well-respected and related summits were often selected as places for making the most important of all offerings — human sacrifices.

What was it like to rebel against the Inca Empire?

The Inca Empire grew to its gargantuan size and became the largest empire in ancient Americas through conquest, annexation, and arranged marriage, approaches that didn't always go over well with locals. Watch this five-minute video to experience a...

See ten of the most amazing Mayan ruins

Hidden beneath the jungles of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Maya temples, pyramids, and cities reveal the civilization’s vast construction ambitions. Decades of archaeology have uncovered these sites, which are explored in detail in this guided video tour of 10 significant ruins.

Inti, the Sun God of the Inca

The Incas were polytheistic, worshiping many gods, but Inti was the most powerful one in the pantheon. He was the god of the sun and also ruled over agriculture, fertility, and war. Inti was mainly a benevolent deity, though the Inca believed that solar eclipses meant Inti wasn’t pleased. To appease him, the Inca gave sacrificial offerings including food, white llamas, and even human beings.

The Inca's last stand against the Spanish

The Inca Emperor marched to meet the Spanish, expecting them to surrender. Spoiler: They didn't. Listen to this podcast episode to hear what led up to this moment and what happened next.

The long history of an ancient Andean beer made from corn

And often chewed before brewed. From dank chicherias in small towns to gourmet big-city restaurants catering to tourists, the traditional fermented-corn beverage chicha is still being drunk throughout the Andes. Read more here.

Stonehenge is one of the world's most studied prehistoric sites and was built around the same time as the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

Layers of minerals revealed by erosion give Vinicunca its distinct colorations

Located in Peru's Andean mountains, Rainbow Mountain is known for its vibrant colors, which result from layers of minerals such as clay, sandstone, argillite, and limonite exposed over millions of years by rain, snowfall, and strong winds.

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii

Excavations revealed stunning finds—a wooden bed, a horse's saddle, and vivid frescoes—while also suggesting the eruption may have occurred in October, not April. See the discoveries from the EU's $140M Great Pompeii Project.

Stonehenge has produced wild origin stories

Built before the wheel was invented, Stonehenge inspired increasingly fantastical explanations—from a 12th-century tale of Merlin and Nephilim giants to 1960s claims that aliens built it alongside the pyramids.

American archaeology has a complicated legacy

Many national parks were discovered through American archaeological expeditions and, consequently, included the looting of Native American cultural sites and artifacts.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, it buried the Roman city of Pompeii under 20 feet of ash, which preserved it for nearly 1,700 years.

Aliens have invaded ancient history

Avid fans of archaeology can sometimes fall prey to unsubstantiated claims like "aliens built the pyramids," provocative, dubious theories which fall under the category of pseudo-archaeology. Many of these claims are premised on hidden biases toward non-Western cultural heritages. This professor explores the hidden contours of pseudo-archaeology in this 12-minute TED talk.

Decoding the Indus Valley script

About 100 years ago, archaeologists uncovered an ancient city along the bank of the Indus River in eastern Pakistan that dated back to 2,500 BCE, though its urban planning, grid-like roads, brick-lined streets, multi-story homes, and sanitation and...

Lidar's discoveries: 32 forts revealed by the laser tech

Lidar is a cutting-edge tool using lasers from an aircraft to map the elevations of huge swaths of land across the world. This technology has been especially effective in archaeology. It has revealed dozens of lost major historical sites concealed beneath overgrown brush and forests. From Canadian forts to Mayan settlements, check out these 32 significant finds from lidar.

A collection of ancient graffiti from Pompeii, Herculaneum

From cavemen to marker-wielding children, humans have always wanted to leave their mark. Read some of the graffiti left by ancient Romans here. The cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum feature exquisite levels of preservation due to the nature of their demise. Viewers can see the surviving graffiti by clicking through the site's featured collections, which include topics such as poetry and love.

Reimagine damaged cultural sites from around the world

NeoMam art studios created animated GIFs restoring six endangered World Heritage sites to their original glory. These include Hatra, a fortified city in Iraq, and Nan Madol, an island site in the northwest Pacific. These landmarks are designated as at risk due to threats like earthquakes and conflict in the regions. Enjoy some of the beautifully restored landmarks with this brief article.

A 101 on Pompeii

Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 CE preserved an entire Roman city in ash, leaving future archaeologists an unprecedented gift: the most complete glimpse to date into the daily life of ancient Romans. The encyclopedia entry, originally written by one of the site’s leading archaeological scholars, is a one-stop shop for all things Pompeii, including what several generations of archaeologists have discovered over centuries of excavation.

Why only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still exists

Greek writers recorded lists of great structures that were later codified by Renaissance writers. The definitive list includes the Colossus of Rhodes, the Giza Pyramid (the only existing one today), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Unraveling the charred remains of the only known library from antiquity

This article details the quest to decipher the charred remains of a library buried during Mt. Vesuvius' volcanic blast. In 1752, nearly 2,000 papyrus scrolls were found in Herculaneum. According to this article, this collection is the only complete library that has survived from antiquity. In the last decade, scientists have made strides in decoding the crumbling texts.

Wildlife use Rome's sprawling archaeological sites as urban havens

The Italian capital features some of the world's most famous monuments as the inheritor of ancient Rome's grandeur. This photo essay explores the city's vibrant collection of wildlife, including long-concealed native crabs, peregrine falcons, and the beaver-like nutria.

The Alhambra’s medieval water system powered a palace-city

Built over centuries by Islamic rulers in medieval Spain, the Alhambra used canals and pressurized tanks to move water throughout the complex. Its sophisticated system supplied fountains, baths, and gardens, showcasing advanced medieval engineering.

The art of 'undiscovering' phantom islands

Centuries of maps include islands and isles that appear to only exist on atlases. This article explores the discovery and "undiscovery" of such landscapes, which still persist despite modern technology. As recently as 2012, Google Maps showed an...

The three theories explaining how the pyramids were built

There's no consensus over how the ancient monuments were built, and no blueprints left behind. But centuries of study have produced three competing theories: a simple, massive external ramp, a more complex internal ramp, or a highly sophisticated water elevator.

Explore the collection of vivid frescoes Pompeii left behind

This gallery showcases remarkably preserved frescoes depicting food, daily life, landscapes, and myth. Tools abandoned during the eruption reveal how ancient artists worked, offering insight into Pompeii’s visual culture before Vesuvius buried the city in ash.

Explore a database of ancient graffiti

Take a look at thousands of pieces of graffiti from the walls of Herculaneum and Pompeii, including name tags, crude jokes, and crude drawings. The database, maintained by classical scholars, allows you to explore maps of the cities and images of the original inscriptions.

A nearby town proved even more archaeologically important than Pompeii

Herculaneum, buried under five times more ash than Pompeii, was sealed so completely that food, furniture, and entire buildings survived. This BBC documentary reveals how its discoveries have transformed scholars' understanding of the diets, work, and social mobility of ordinary Romans.