The Inca civilization built Machu Picchu high in the Andes of modern Peru.
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century citadel located on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley. Its carefully fitted stonework, terraces, plazas, residences, and ritual structures demonstrate the engineering abilities of the Inca state. The site sits at an elevation of about 2,430 meters above sea level, between the Andes and the Amazon basin.
Archaeologists generally connect Machu Picchu with the reign of Pachacuti, the Inca ruler who transformed the kingdom into a major imperial power. It may have served as a royal estate, ceremonial center, or retreat, although its exact purpose remains debated. The complex was likely occupied for a relatively short period before the Spanish conquest disrupted the Inca world.
Machu Picchu was not known to most of the outside world until Hiram Bingham publicized it internationally after his 1911 expedition, though local residents already knew the site. It was not the capital of the Inca Empire; that was Cusco. Machu Picchu became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and is among Peru's most visited cultural landmarks.