Machu Picchu was built in the popular style.
Machu Picchu . Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti ( 1438 -- 1472 ) . Often mistakenly referred to as the `` Lost City of the Incas '' ( a title more accurately applied to Vilcabamba ) , it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization . Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style , with polished dry-stone walls .