diff --git a/docs/src/changelog.md b/docs/src/changelog.md
index d608cfead..1213efe7b 100644
--- a/docs/src/changelog.md
+++ b/docs/src/changelog.md
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ When releasing a new version, move the "Unreleased" changes to a new version sec
 
 ### Performance
 
+- Constructing an `MPOHamiltonian` from local operators compiles about twice as fast on
+  Julia 1.13 and 1.14. ([#554](https://github.com/QuantumKitHub/MPSKit.jl/pull/554))
+
 ## [0.14.1](https://github.com/QuantumKitHub/MPSKit.jl/compare/v0.14.0...v0.14.1) - 2026-11-02
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/src/operators/mpohamiltonian.jl b/src/operators/mpohamiltonian.jl
index 4b724a4eb..c3f1c4b7d 100644
--- a/src/operators/mpohamiltonian.jl
+++ b/src/operators/mpohamiltonian.jl
@@ -513,9 +513,12 @@ of two proportional operators need not be related by that same scalar.
 """
 function _instantiate_operators(lattice, local_operators)
     representatives = Tuple{Any, Any, Any}[]
-    return map(collect(local_operators)) do term
-        return instantiate_operator(lattice, _decompose_once!(representatives, term))
-    end
+    # A comprehension rather than `map`: all of the work happens in here, and type inference
+    # limits `map` calls that are nested within another `map` (JuliaLang/julia#64862).
+    return [
+        instantiate_operator(lattice, _decompose_once!(representatives, term))
+            for term in collect(local_operators)
+    ]
 end
 
 # terms that are not supplied as an `inds => operator` pair -- e.g. a `LocalOperator` -- and