Peru is home to the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca site in the Andes, high above the Urubamba Valley. Its stone buildings, terraces, plazas, and carefully planned water channels occupy a mountain ridge near the city of Cusco.
The site was probably constructed during the reign of the Inca ruler Pachacuti in the mid-1400s. Scholars continue to debate its precise purpose, but it may have served as a royal estate, ceremonial center, or retreat. Its sophisticated masonry uses stones fitted closely together without modern mortar.
Machu Picchu was abandoned during the Spanish conquest period and was not known internationally until Hiram Bingham publicized it after visiting in 1911. Local people already knew of the site, so the claim that Bingham “discovered” it is an oversimplification. UNESCO listed Machu Picchu as a World Heritage Site in 1983.