Drone Scans Reveal 1.5 Miles of Hidden Inca Roads in the Jungle Around Machu Picchu
Learn how the discovery of roads, terraces, and platforms covered by the thick jungle of the Machu Picchu valley may hint at a larger infrastructure surrounding the cultural heritage site.
In the Peruvian Andes, near the renowned Machu Picchu, an archaeological marvel has emerged from the dense jungle foliage. University of Warsaw’s Center for Andean Studies, alongside Peruvian research institutes, has uncovered over 1.5 miles of ancient Inca roads, terraces, and platforms, concealed beneath the thick tropical vegetation.
The discovery, made using LiDAR technology—a remote-sensing drone-based method—revealed narrow and zigzagging paths cutting through the jungle. These paths, extending to the "Mandor Wall," are believed to lead to a previously unknown area adjacent to Machu Picchu, situated on the opposite side of the Urubamba Valley.
The newly discovered infrastructure, alongside platforms and circular structures, indicates a more extensive development of the landscape around the heritage site than previously understood. According to Mariusz Ziółkowski, director of the Center for Andean Studies, this discovery significantly revises hypotheses about the functioning of the entire complex.
The roads align with known Inca construction methods, although their precise origin remains undetermined, as some parts might be even older. The findings will provide insights into the connections between the landscape around Machu Picchu and the heritage site itself. Both Polish and Peruvian teams have decided to conceal the exact location to protect the newly found archaeological site from unsupervised exploration.
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