The Inca civilisation built Machu Picchu. The fifteenth-century site stands about 2,430 metres above sea level in Peru’s Andes, on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley.
Machu Picchu was constructed during the reign of the Inca ruler Pachacuti, who governed from 1438 until 1471. Archaeologists generally interpret it as a royal estate or sacred retreat rather than the capital of the Inca Empire. Its terraces, plazas, residences, and religious structures were carefully integrated into the steep landscape.
Inca builders used finely cut stone masonry, including polygonal blocks fitted without mortar. The site also includes an elaborate system of channels and fountains that managed mountain water. The Intihuatana stone and the Temple of the Sun are among its best-known features.
The Spanish conquest did not record Machu Picchu in the same way as major Inca centres, and the site became largely unknown outside the local area. Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911. UNESCO designated Machu Picchu a World Heritage Site in 1983.