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| Image Credit : Peruvian State |
The Discovery
Peru's Ministry of Culture announced the findings following preliminary archaeological reconnaissance carried out in July 2023 around the Mandor wall, close to the celebrated Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Researchers used LiDAR — Light Detection and Ranging — technology to scan the landscape from above, allowing them to effectively see through thick vegetation and map subtle archaeological features that can be extremely difficult to identify from ground level.
The survey identified more than 2.5 kilometres of previously undocumented roads, including a main route running at least 1.2 kilometres in length, alongside what researchers believe could be previously unknown agricultural terraces and platforms.
What Archaeologists Found
Among the most significant discoveries is the 1.2-kilometre road itself, whose layout displays characteristics closely associated with Inca construction techniques. Researchers identified a distinctive zigzagging pattern along its route, a design feature suggesting the road may have been built during the Inca period. However, archaeologists have been careful to stress that its precise age has not yet been conclusively established, and further field investigations will be required to determine when the road was constructed, what purpose it originally served, and how it connected to other structures within the wider Machu Picchu landscape.
The survey was conducted within the Machu Picchu National Archaeological Park, where rugged mountains and exceptionally dense vegetation have long made conventional ground-based archaeological exploration particularly challenging, meaning that many features in this landscape have likely remained hidden from view for centuries.
Historical Background
The Mandor wall lies to the east of Machu Picchu and forms part of the wider cultural landscape surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has held that designation since 1983. Rather than viewing Machu Picchu solely as an isolated monumental complex, ongoing discoveries across the surrounding landscape are increasingly helping archaeologists investigate the wider network of roads, settlements, agricultural areas and other structures connected with the site.
Despite more than a century of intensive archaeological activity at Machu Picchu itself, the surrounding landscape continues to reveal signs of a much broader and more complex system of human activity than previously documented, underscoring just how much remains to be understood about the full extent of Inca-era occupation in this region.
Scientific Analysis
LiDAR technology works by firing laser pulses toward the ground and measuring the reflected signals. Researchers can then process the resulting data to create detailed models of the underlying terrain, revealing roads, foundations, terraces and other human-made features that may be almost entirely invisible beneath dense vegetation when viewed from ground level. This technology has increasingly transformed archaeological research in heavily forested regions around the world, allowing researchers to survey vast and otherwise inaccessible areas with far greater efficiency than traditional ground survey methods alone.
At Machu Picchu, the latest scans have revealed not only roads but also possible platforms and terraces that will now become priority targets for more detailed archaeological investigation on the ground, allowing researchers to verify and further interpret what the aerial data has revealed.
Why This Discovery Matters
The newly identified routes raise important questions about the role the Mandor sector may have played in controlling movement and organising territory around Machu Picchu during the pre-Hispanic period. Researchers believe the newly detected features could help provide a far more detailed picture of how the wider area was organised and occupied, moving understanding beyond the citadel itself toward a fuller appreciation of the surrounding functional landscape.
Maritza Rosa Candia, executive director of the DDC Cusco, noted that incorporating new technology into archaeological research was significantly expanding knowledge of the territory surrounding Machu Picchu, helping specialists determine where future investigations and conservation efforts should be concentrated. Professor Mariusz Ziółkowski, director of the University of Warsaw's Center for Andean Studies, likewise highlighted the importance of international scientific cooperation in identifying and studying previously unknown archaeological evidence of this kind.
What's Next?
The research is the result of a scientific partnership between the Center for Andean Studies at the University of Warsaw and Peru's Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco. The archaeological survey and documentation were led by Dr Jan Kłaput of the University of Warsaw's Center for Andean Studies, while Dr Bartłomiej Ćmielewski of Wrocław University of Science and Technology oversaw the use of the advanced remote-sensing technology. The international team also included archaeologist Jeff Rocky Contreras Soto of Apu Space and Dr Paweł Dąbek of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, with fieldwork supervised by Dr Nino del Solar Velarde, head of Machu Picchu's Archaeological Research Coordination at the Cusco Regional Directorate of Culture. Funding for the project was provided by the University of Warsaw.
Culture officials in Cusco have now ordered targeted archaeological studies of the newly identified features, including detailed field surveys and recording. Researchers will attempt to establish the age, construction methods, function and preservation of the roads and other structures identified, while officials will also assess the measures needed to protect and conserve the archaeological remains, alongside possibilities for documenting and potentially presenting them as part of the wider heritage landscape.
Conclusion
The discovery of more than 2.5 kilometres of hidden roads and possible terraces beneath the forest surrounding Machu Picchu adds a significant new piece to the ongoing puzzle of how this iconic Andean landscape was once organised and traversed. As further fieldwork gets underway to establish the age and purpose of these newly revealed features, this LiDAR survey stands as a compelling example of how advanced remote-sensing technology continues to transform archaeological understanding of even the most intensively studied ancient sites in the world.
Sources : Peruvian State
FAQ
Q: What did the LiDAR survey discover near Machu Picchu? A: Researchers identified more than 2.5 kilometres of previously undocumented pre-Hispanic roads, including a main route of at least 1.2 kilometres, along with possible agricultural terraces and platforms.
Q: How does LiDAR technology work? A: LiDAR fires laser pulses toward the ground and measures the reflected signals, allowing researchers to create detailed terrain models that reveal features hidden beneath dense vegetation.
Q: Where exactly was the discovery made? A: The features were identified around the Mandor wall, located east of Machu Picchu, within the Machu Picchu National Archaeological Park.
Q: Is the road confirmed to be from the Inca period? A: Not yet conclusively. Its zigzagging pattern suggests Inca-era construction techniques, but further field investigation is needed to confirm its age and purpose.
Q: Who led the research behind this discovery? A: The project was a partnership between the University of Warsaw's Center for Andean Studies and Peru's Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco, led by Dr Jan Kłaput with remote-sensing work overseen by Dr Bartłomiej Ćmielewski.
