Which ancient city in Peru is known as the Inca citadel in the Andes?

Machu Picchu is the ancient Inca citadel in Peru’s Andes.

The site stands about 2,430 metres above sea level on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley. Its terraces, plazas, residences, and ceremonial structures were built in the fifteenth century during the reign of the Inca ruler Pachacuti.

Machu Picchu was probably abandoned in the sixteenth century during the Spanish conquest, although the Spanish did not record discovering it. The outside world learned about the site through Hiram Bingham’s 1911 expedition, but local residents already knew of the ruins.

Cusco was the Inca Empire’s capital, while Chan Chan was the capital of the earlier Chimú civilization. Machu Picchu became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and is widely recognized for its dry-stone construction and dramatic mountain setting.