Machu Picchu is the ancient Incan city located in Peru.
Built around 1450, the citadel sits about 2,430 metres above sea level on a mountain ridge in Peru’s Andes, roughly 80 kilometres northwest of Cusco. It is generally thought to have been an estate or retreat associated with the Inca ruler Pachacuti, although its exact original purpose remains debated.
The site was constructed with finely fitted dry-stone walls, terraces, temples and ceremonial spaces, including the Temple of the Sun and the Intihuatana stone. It was brought to international attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, though local residents already knew of the ruins.
A common mix-up is calling Machu Picchu the “Lost City of the Incas.” That popular nickname is misleading: the real lost Inca capital, Vilcabamba, was elsewhere. Peru declared the surrounding area a Historic Sanctuary in 1981, and UNESCO listed Machu Picchu as a World Heritage Site in 1983.