Peru is the country home to Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel high in the Andes. The archaeological site stands above the Urubamba Valley in southern Peru, near the city of Cusco.
Machu Picchu was built in the fifteenth century during the reign of the Inca ruler Pachacuti. Its terraces, plazas, temples, and carefully fitted stone buildings occupy a mountain saddle at about 2,430 metres above sea level. The site’s exact purpose is still discussed, although it was probably a royal estate and ceremonial centre.
Spanish colonial authorities did not record the settlement as a major conquest site, and it remained largely unknown internationally until the early twentieth century. American historian Hiram Bingham publicized it widely after visiting in 1911, though local residents already knew of the ruins.
Machu Picchu became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It is often incorrectly called a “lost city,” but it was not completely unknown to local people before its international promotion.