Peru is home to the ancient city of Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca site in the Andes, about 80 kilometres northwest of Cusco. It stands on a mountain ridge nearly 2,430 metres above sea level and was probably built during the reign of the Inca ruler Pachacuti in the 1400s.
The site includes carefully fitted stone buildings, terraces, stairways, and ceremonial spaces. Its original purpose is still discussed by historians, although it may have served as a royal estate or important religious centre. Hiram Bingham brought widespread international attention to Machu Picchu in 1911, but local people already knew of the ruins. The site is sometimes called a “lost city,” yet that phrase can mislead because it was never entirely unknown in the surrounding region.