Introduction Historical context The natural setting The environment Flora and fauna About the disoccupation when discovered Description of Machu Picchu Wayna Picchu and the temple of the moon Reconstructing the past The productive activities The natural setting The environment The mountain Machu Picchu rises above the Vilcabamba chain, where, situated among other snow peaks, stands Salkantay at an altitude of 6271 m, considered the apu or sacred mountain, perhaps the most important mountain, of the Incas. The site of Machu Picchu itself is situated at 2360 m above sea level and at 13°1' south latitude, while the adjoining peak, Wayna Picchu, is at 2560 m above sea level and at 13°7' south latitude. The Urubamba River is at 2000 m altitude at the point where the railroad station is located, where the ascent begins to the sanctuary. The landscape is made up of a series of steep hills and mountains with almost vertical slopes and deep, narrow ravines through which flow the turbulent waters of sonorous rivers. It has a constant, temperate climate, which varies between 10°C and 21°C, with the lower temperatures in the morning and the highest at midday and without big changes during the course of the year. It is a humid climate, typical of the eastern part of the Andes.