The Inca civilization built Machu Picchu high in the Andes of present-day Peru.
Machu Picchu was constructed in the 15th century during the reign of the Inca ruler Pachacuti, who expanded the empire into the largest state in pre-Columbian America. The site stands at about 2,430 meters above sea level on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley.
Its precisely fitted stonework, terraces, plazas, residences, and ritual structures demonstrate advanced Inca engineering. Agricultural terraces helped stabilize steep slopes and manage water, while canals and fountains supplied the settlement. Scholars still debate whether Machu Picchu functioned mainly as a royal estate, a religious center, or a combination of both.
The site was not the Inca capital; that was Cusco. Machu Picchu was probably abandoned during the Spanish conquest, although the Spanish did not record discovering it. Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911, and UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1983.