Known as the “lost city of the Incas,” Machu Picchu was rediscovered by American archeologist and historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, with the help of a local farmer who knew of its existence. The name Machu Picchu, loosely translated from Quechua, the Inca language, means “ancient mountain peak.” Set on a terraced, narrow ridge at approximately 8,000 feet in the Andes, Machu Picchu consists of a collection of well-made stone structures, including temples, a citadel and burial sites. It was built for the Inca ruler Pachacuti, perhaps as a vacation retreat, although, as the Incas had no written language, the construction timeline is unclear. The Inca established their capital in Cuzco in present-day Peru in the 12th century and later formed a powerful empire that encompassed a large chunk of western South America. At their peak, the Inca might have controlled a population of 12 million people or more from various ethnic groups. In the 1530s, the Inca Empire fell to the Spanish; however, because of Machu Picchu’s remote location, it escaped destruction by the Conquistadores. Today, Machu Picchu is Peru’s top tourist attraction and accessible by high-speed train, causing historians and conservations to worry about the physical strain of so many visitors to the ancient city.
www.history.com