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 Machu Picchu is a settlement built by the Incas in the fifteenth century. Inca, or Inka, is the name that was given to the inhabitants of the basin of the Huatanay River, on whose banks the city of Cuzco was built. Before that time the Incas had succeeded in forming a kingdom that dominated the middle part of the Vilcanota River.