Machu Picchu Sanctuary

This ancient Inca city is one of Peru’s most prized treasures. It was built in the mid-15th century and is believed to have been one of the residences of the ninth Inca of the Tahuantinsuyu, Pachacútec, although the remains of a sanctuary are also located there. Its name means “old mountain,” and alludes to its location, at an altitude of about 2,453 meters, on a rocky promontory between the mountains of Huchuy Picchu and Huayna Picchu.

Today, this Inca gem is one of the country’s tourist hotspots. Travelers flock to Aguas Calientes to begin the Inca Trail, popularized by Yale professor Hiram Bingham in the early 20th century. The historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu is considered one of the seven new wonders of the modern world and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983.