| Aguas Calientes Q'uñiyaku Machupicchu Pueblo |
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| — Town — | |
| Statue of Pachacutec and the cathedral | |
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Aguas Calientes
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Peru |
| Region | Cusco |
| Province | Urubamba |
| District | MachuPicchu |
| Settled | 1901 |
| District Capital | October 1, 1941 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Edgar D. Miranda Quiñones |
| Elevation | 2,040 m (6,693 ft) |
| Time zone | PET (UTC-5) |
| Website | (Spanish) http://www.munimachupicchu.gob.pe/ |
Aguas Calientes (Spanish for "hot water" or "hot springs"), sometimes referred to as Machupicchu Town, is a town in Peru on the Urubamba (Vilcanota) River with the closest access point to the historical site of Machu Picchu, which is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) away or about a 1.5 hours walk. There are many hotels and restaurants for tourists, as well as natural hot baths, which give the town its name. The baths were destroyed by floods several years ago, but have been rebuilt.
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Originally settled by a few farm families in 1901, the tiny settlement was transformed into a busy railway worker's camp, called Camp Maquinachayoq, during the construction of the railroad through there in the late 1920s. The town was the central hub for worker lodging and their equipment up until the railway was finished in 1931.[1]
Aguas Calientes serves as a terminal for the PeruRail passenger train service from Cusco. Trains serve locals and tourists arriving from Cusco and Ollantaytambo to visit Machu Picchu. A sheltered souvenir market is adjacent to the train station. Avenue Pachacutec is the town's main and only thoroughfare, connecting the baths to the town's main square.
The Central Machupicchu Hydroelectric Plant (Hidroelectrica) is nearby on the Urubamba River. It generates about 90 MW for the regions of Cusco, Puno, and Apurimac. It was first constructed between 1958 and 1965 and expanded between 1981 and 1985. The plant was damaged by a landslide on 28 February 1998 and ceased operations until 13 July 2001.[2]