Machu Picchu is located in Peru.
The Inca citadel stands high in the Andes above the Urubamba Valley, near the modern town of Aguas Calientes. Most historians date its construction to the 15th century, during the reign of the Inca ruler Pachacuti. Its terraces, plazas and stone buildings were carefully adapted to a steep mountain setting.
Machu Picchu was probably a royal estate or ceremonial retreat rather than the Inca Empire’s capital. It was not widely known outside the local region until Hiram Bingham brought international attention to it in 1911, although local residents already knew the site. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1983.