Which ancient ruler commissioned Machu Picchu in the Inca Empire?

Pachacuti commissioned Machu Picchu in the Inca Empire.

Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui ruled from about 1438 to 1471 and transformed the Inca state into a powerful Andean empire. Machu Picchu was constructed during the fifteenth century, probably as a royal estate or ceremonial retreat connected with his reign. The site stands about 2,430 metres above sea level in Peru’s Urubamba Valley.

Its finely fitted stonework, terraces and water channels demonstrate advanced Inca engineering. The settlement was probably occupied by a relatively small population and was not the capital of the empire. The Spanish conquest did not lead to a famous recorded battle there, and the site was largely unknown internationally until Hiram Bingham’s 1911 expedition.

Machu Picchu’s original Inca name is uncertain. It is often called the “Lost City of the Incas,” although that nickname can mislead: the site was never the empire’s main capital, which was Cusco.