New Ruins Identified Beneath Dense Forest Around Machu Picchu

JICA, in collaboration with the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and Futaba Co., Ltd., a company based in Fukushima Prefecture, has successfully extracted multiple previously unidentifiable archaeological structures from beneath the dense forest surrounding the Machu Picchu ruins, using Japanese high-precision 3D surveying technology (UAV-LiDAR). This achievement is a groundbreaking initiative that enables the identification of ruins in unexplored areas without the need for deforestation, representing a major step forward in JICA's cooperation toward advancing cultural heritage conservation and strengthening tourism safety. This survey is part of a JICA project that utilizes Japanese technology and expertise to address Peru's national challenge of balancing the advancement of cultural heritage conservation with tourism.

In this survey, we successfully grasped the overall picture of the "Andenes Orientales," a large-scale group of terraces extending to the northeast of the Machu Picchu ruins, which had been difficult to visualize due to dense tree cover. Furthermore, in the unexplored area on the north side of the ruins near the Temple of the Moon, several characteristic potential ruins were newly identified, including an L-shaped wall structure (approximately 2.7m in height), line-symmetrical three-tiered terraces, and rectangular stone materials that show signs of potential processing. These discoveries were made possible by removing forest data from the high-density point cloud data acquired by UAV-LiDAR, thereby extracting the ground surface shape in a non-destructive manner.

[Image Captions] Andenes Orientales Terraces: The Andenes Orientales ruins, which spread from the north to the eastern base of the Machu Picchu ruins. By converting the terraces, which could not be confirmed in photos due to tree cover, into point cloud data and removing unnecessary data such as trees, we were able to confirm the overall scale of the terraces and their connection to adjacent ones.

Wall-like ruins near the Temple of the Moon: A structure with a different shape from standard terraces, consisting of two wall-like surfaces in an L-shape measuring approximately 12.9m x 6.4m, with a height of 2.7m and a thickness of 0.6m.

Terraces near the Temple of the Moon: Three-tiered terraces with a line-symmetrical shape.

Potential megalithic object near the Temple of the Moon: A flat area and a rectangular structure with a long side of about 2m were confirmed beneath the dense forest. Given the flat surface, it is highly likely to be a processed megalith. A hollow space can also be seen behind it. Since there are ruins inside the hollow of the nearby "Temple of the Moon," it is speculated that there is a high degree of similarity, despite the small scale.

~JICA's Contribution to Cultural Heritage Conservation and Tourism Development Welcomed in Peru~ Peru is home to over 22,000 archaeological sites, including those from the Inca Empire period (13th–16th centuries), and registration and conservation efforts are struggling to keep pace. While cultural heritage is a source of national pride and tourism is a key industry, the two are often in a trade-off relationship. To address this, JICA has partnered with the Peruvian Ministry of Culture to form "3D-SACURA" (February 2025 – January 2027), aiming to build a cultural heritage conservation system utilizing high-precision 3D data and to promote sustainable tourism development. JICA is supporting the creation of a system where the acquired 3D data can be sustainably utilized by the Peruvian side through institutional, operational, and human resource development support.

~Bonds Spun by Nikkei Immigrants Lead to Collaboration Between JICA and Japanese Companies~ This project is backed by many years of exchange between Japan and Peru. Yoshichi Nouchi, a Nikkei immigrant who served as the first mayor of Machu Picchu village (1948–1950), was originally from Otama Village in Fukushima Prefecture and contributed significantly to the village's infrastructure, including water, electricity, and hotel construction. His achievements are still highly regarded in Peru today, and this historical connection led to the signing of a friendship city agreement between Otama Village and Machu Picchu in 2015. Additionally, during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Otama Village accepted many residents from Tomioka Town, Fukushima, who were forced to evacuate due to the nuclear accident. Hidefumi Endo, President of Futaba Co., Ltd., who is from Tomioka and felt deep gratitude toward Otama Village, began to harbor a desire to "repay Otama Village by utilizing our company's 3D surveying technology to promote the friendly relationship between Otama and Machu Picchu." Bringing this concept to JICA was the catalyst for the formation of this project.

~Providing New Options for Heritage Conservation with Japanese Technology~ Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, Futaba Co., Ltd. engaged in 3D archiving to record and preserve townscapes and topography to pass on the state of areas that became difficult to access due to the nuclear accident to future generations. In the process, they honed their skills in designing flight plans to efficiently acquire data even in inaccessible environments, and in analyzing vast amounts of acquired data to build high-precision 3D models. This knowledge and technology cultivated in Japan are being applied to the non-destructive, high-precision survey of the Machu Picchu ruins in this project. Through 3D-SACURA, Futaba is utilizing its 3D measurement and analysis technology to create 3D data of the stone structures and perform topographical analysis of the Machu Picchu ruins. This enables: - Significant improvement in work efficiency and labor saving - Monitoring of changes over time - Visualization of deterioration and deformation - Advancement of conservation planning based on scientific evidence This is advancing the use of digital technology in both heritage conservation and tourism management. Furthermore, the acquired data can be used for tourism promotion, educational activities for cultural heritage conservation, and the creation of disaster hazard maps through VR and AR, broadening the scope of how cultural heritage can be utilized.

~Japanese Technology Supports World Heritage Conservation, and That Knowledge Returns to Japan~ The 3D analysis technology and risk assessment knowledge gained in high-altitude and cloud forest zones like Machu Picchu can also be applied to cultural property conservation, safety management of tourist destinations, and disaster prevention in Japan. JICA also aims to build a knowledge cycle that returns technology and expertise gained overseas to the field in Japan. Standing on the trust built by our predecessors, including Nikkei immigrants, JICA will continue to promote cooperation that contributes to the social and economic development of both Japan and Peru.