Cusco was the centre of the Inca Empire when Machu Picchu was built.
Cusco, in the Peruvian Andes, was the Inca imperial capital and the political, religious and administrative heart of Tahuantinsuyu. Machu Picchu was constructed during the 15th century, most likely under the reign of the Inca ruler Pachacuti, whose expansion transformed Cusco into the core of a vast Andean empire.
The Incas designed Cusco in the shape of a puma according to a traditional interpretation, with important temples and palaces arranged through the city. The Coricancha, or Temple of the Sun, was one of its most important sacred buildings.
Spanish forces captured Cusco in 1533 after the defeat of Atahualpa. Spanish colonial buildings were later constructed over Inca foundations, many of which remain visible because of the empire’s precisely fitted stonework.