What is the name of the ancient Inca city located high in the Andes?

The ancient Inca city located high in the Andes is Machu Picchu. This remarkable 15th-century citadel stands on a mountain ridge in southern Peru, above the Urubamba River and the Sacred Valley.

Machu Picchu was built at about 2,430 meters above sea level, probably during the reign of the Inca ruler Pachacuti in the 15th century. Archaeologists generally interpret it as a royal estate, ceremonial center, or elite retreat, although no surviving Inca written record states its exact original purpose.

The site is famous for its precisely fitted dry-stone construction. Important features include the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, terraces, plazas, and the Intihuatana ritual stone. Its steep surroundings also helped protect it from observation and made the settlement difficult to reach.

Machu Picchu was not truly unknown before modern archaeology: local people knew the site, and Agustín Lizárraga reached it in 1902. The American explorer Hiram Bingham brought it international attention in 1911. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.