Machu Picchu is one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites located at 2,430 meters / 7,972 feet above sea level in Peru's mountain peaks. This legendary, lofty city was abandoned by the Inca Empire, reclaimed by the jungle, and lost to humanity until its rediscovery in 1911. Built by the Incas on the summit of "Machu Picchu" (Old Peak), in the middle of a tropical montane forest overlooking the canyon of the Urubamba River, the "Lost City of Machu Picchu" is a site of extraordinary beauty and enormous archaeological significance.  

The complex reflects the Inca Empire at its height, with giant walls, terraces, and ramps that appear to have been cut naturally into the continuous rock escarpments. The phenomenal technological skills of the Incan engineers can be seen in multiple facets of the site: the exacting precision of the massive stone buildings, the water channels that reveal a deep understanding of hydraulics, and Intihuatana ("the highest point of the Sun"), which served as a solar calendar that regulated planting and harvesting.