Introduction Historical context Traditional history History according to archaeology History of Pachakutec Chronology The natural setting About the disoccupation when discovered Description of Machu Picchu Wayna Picchu and the temple of the moon Reconstructing the past The productive activities Historical context Chronology It is assumed, based on calculations that not all scholars trust, that Pachakuteq came to power around 1430. All the documents that speak of this Inca, attribute the construction of imperial Cuzco to him, as well as of most of the buildings of the Tampu region, where Machu Picchu is found. For this reason, all of them are in agreement in considering the sanctuary was built by him. If this is certain, it was built in the fifteenth century, no more than 100 years before the arrival of the Spanish. Archaeological studies confirm these assumptions, including carbon 14 dates which coincide with placing the sanctuary of Machu Picchu in the fifteenth century.