Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Peru · Cusco

SettlementUnknownUNESCO · 1983
Approximate period1,420 CE — 1,530 CELate Horizon; Inca Period See on the map ↓

In brief

It is an Inca settlement founded in mountainous terrain above the Urubamba Valley. Radiocarbon analysis of human remains from excavations has shown that its use extended approximately from 1420–1530.

What was found?

  • 1Human remains from the cemeteries

    Radiocarbon analysis of bones and teeth recovered during excavations showed that the settlement was used approximately between AD 1420–1530. DNA analysis in another study revealed the diverse regional origins of the people who lived here.

  • 2Stone residential and ceremonial buildings

    These buildings were arranged according to a plan on a steep ridge. They show the spatial organization of residential, agricultural, and ceremonial areas.

  • 3Agricultural terraces

    Stone terraces stepping down the slopes are the principal remains of the agricultural areas. They document the adaptation of mountainous terrain for production and settlement.

  • 4Water management structures

    Irrigation channels and related features are considered together with the terraces and settlement. They show the connection between Inca engineering and land use.

What does it point to?

Machu Picchu's stone buildings and terraces demonstrate the knowledge and labor that made planned life possible in a challenging mountainous environment. According to researchers, this was a royal estate; DNA results reveal that the community responsible for maintenance and service work consisted of people from different regions of the empire.

What did it teach us?

  1. Radiocarbon dates pushed the beginning of the settlement's use back at least 20 years from widely accepted historical estimates.
  2. DNA research showed that the service community living here had more diverse origins than expected.
  3. Terraces, channels, and the building plan documented the coordinated organization of agriculture and settlement in mountainous terrain.

Images

MachuPicchu - terrasses
PA · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
80 - Machu Picchu - Juin 2009 - edit
Martin St-Amant (S23678) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

Ancient DNA research published in 2023 showed that the people buried at Machu Picchu came from different geographical origins.

Record

Culture
Inca
Coordinates
-13.1633°, -72.5462°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. news.yale.edu
  3. news.yale.edu
  4. archatlas.org
  5. Yale University — radyokarbon tarihlemesi
  6. Yale University — eski DNA araştırması

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