Since 1997 the Machu Picchu area has been in the spotlight for its slope instability. Firstly, Carreno and Bonnard (1997) described the general geological and geomorphological condition, then the studies of Sassa et al. (2001, 2002, 2005) contributed to define the interpretation of the structures, as the result of the detection of a deep-seated slow slide involving the archaeological area. However, the attention of these studies focused on the condition of the entire slope, with a minor consideration for the small and shallow landslides, even if debris flows often occur and cause damages and real catastrophes. Debris-flows occurred in 1995-1996, along the access road to the site, and in 2004, when the day after Easter a channelized debris flow produced 11 casualties in Aguas Calientes, the close tourist town. As part of the ICL Machu Picchu International Project, an integrated study of the instability condition of the debris was established: in this work the results deriving from both analyses of VHR satellite data and field surveys are shown. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009.