Which civilization built Machu Picchu in modern-day Peru?

The Inca civilization built Machu Picchu in what is now Peru.

Machu Picchu is a fifteenth-century citadel in the Andes above the Urubamba Valley. Archaeologists generally associate its construction with the Inca ruler Pachacuti, who expanded the Inca state during the fifteenth century. The site contains terraces, plazas, temples, residences, and carefully fitted stonework.

Its builders adapted the settlement to a steep, earthquake-prone landscape. Agricultural terraces helped stabilize slopes and grow crops, while drainage channels and foundations managed heavy mountain rainfall. The site was probably a royal estate or ceremonial retreat rather than the ordinary capital of the Inca Empire.

Spanish forces did not record conquering Machu Picchu, and the site remained relatively unknown outside the region until Hiram Bingham publicized it internationally after visiting in 1911. Machu Picchu became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and is often confused with the separate Inca capital, Cusco.