Machu Picchu is the ancient Incan city in Peru, perched high in the Andes, that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built in the 15th century during the height of the Inca Empire, Machu Picchu stands on a ridge above the Urubamba Valley at about 2,430 meters above sea level. Its stone terraces, plazas, temples, residences, ramps, and drainage systems were integrated into a steep mountain landscape with exceptional engineering skill.
The site was probably a royal, religious, ceremonial, and agricultural center, although archaeologists still debate its exact original purpose. The approximately 200 structures include carefully fitted stonework and terraces that helped control erosion and support farming. Machu Picchu was abandoned during the Spanish conquest in the 16th century and became known internationally after Hiram Bingham’s 1911 expedition, though local communities already knew of the ruins.
UNESCO inscribed the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu in 1983 as a mixed cultural and natural World Heritage property. It protects both the Inca archaeological complex and a biologically rich Andean-to-Amazonian environment. Sacsayhuamán and Ollantaytambo are also Inca sites, but neither is the answer here.