The ancient citadel of Machu Picchu in the southern Peruvian Andes is not only world-renowned for being the most impressive legacy of the Inca people; it’s also a feat of architectural ingenuity that survived a massive earthquake in the mid-15th century and stands towering to this day.
Machu Picchu, meaning “old mountain” in the Quechua Indian language, is a sprawling sanctuary 2,430 meters above sea level in the tropical mountain forest region of Urubamba Province, Cusco. Located on a precipitous ridgeline between two mountain peaks with Sacred Valley of the Amazon basin below, the citadel comprises around 200 structures and was allegedly commissioned by the ninth Inca ruler, Pachacutec, as a self-sufficient royal summer retreat.
