Which ancient Inca citadel in Peru is a World Heritage Site?

Machu Picchu is the ancient Inca citadel in Peru that is recognized as a World Heritage Site.

Built around the 15th century, Machu Picchu stands at about 2,430 meters above sea level on a mountain ridge in Peru’s Andes, roughly 80 kilometers northwest of Cusco. Archaeologists generally associate its construction with the reign of Pachacuti, an Inca ruler who helped transform the empire into a major Andean power. Many scholars believe the site served as a royal estate or sacred retreat, although no surviving Inca text definitively explains its original purpose.

The citadel is famous for finely fitted dry-stone masonry, terraces, temples, plazas, and sophisticated water-management systems. Important structures include the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, and the Intihuatana stone.

Machu Picchu was known to local communities before being brought to international attention by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Peru created the surrounding Historic Sanctuary in 1981, and UNESCO designated Machu Picchu a World Heritage Site in 1983 for both its cultural importance and remarkable mountain landscape.