Machu Picchu Peru

Machu Picchu , "Old Peak") is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft)above sea level  Machu Picchu is located in the Cusco Region of Peru, South America. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the    Urubamba Valley in Peru , which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologist believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti  (1438–1472). Often referred to as the "City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.
The Incas started building the "estate" around 1400, but abandoned it as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of what the structures originally looked like. By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored. The restoration work continues to this day.