Machu Picchu by the Numbers: 153 Standing Buildings of ~200 Original

The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu comprises ~153 structures still standing from an estimated 200 original buildings—a remarkable 77% survival rate after 500+ years of abandonment, earthquakes, and vegetation.

Building Types

• Residential – One-room dwellings, often grouped around courtyards (kanchas).
• Temples & ritual – Temple of the Sun, Temple of Three Windows, Intihuatana stone.
• Storage (qolqas) – Ventilated storehouses for maize, potatoes, quinoa.
• Workshops – Obsidian, bronze, textile production evidence.
• Terraces – 700+ agricultural terraces (not "buildings" but engineered structures).
• Water system – 16 fountains, canals, drains—still functional.

Construction Mastery

Ashlar masonry – Stones cut so precisely no mortar needed; joints resist seismic shifting. Trapezoidal doors/windows – Earthquake-resistant geometry. Foundation engineering – Deep stone footings, drainage layers.

What's Missing

~47 structures lost to: landslides (steep slopes), root wedging (forest regrowth), colonial-era stone robbing, and early excavation damage (Bingham 1912).

Every standing wall is a testament to Inca engineering that outperforms modern code in one of Earth's most active seismic zones.