Situated 2,430 m above sea level in Peru, Machu Picchu is the greatest legacy of the Inca civilization with its sophisticated walls, terraces, and ramps. Although the exact role of the complex is still a mystery, it was probably a religious, astronomical, and agricultural center.

The Inca Empire had to abandon this fifteenth-century complex following the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century. Machu Pichu remained hidden until 1911 when Hiram Bingham from Yale University discovered the site.