Machu-Picchu
Machu-Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern-Cordillera of southern Peru. It is situated on a mountain ridge 2,430 meters above sea level, overlooking the Urubamba-River. Most archaeologists believe that the site was constructed as an estate for the Inca-Empire emperor Pachacuti. The site is a premier example of Inca-Architecture, characterized by its use of Ashlar masonry, where stones are cut to fit together tightly without mortar.
The site consists of three primary structures: the Intihuatana, the Temple-of-the-Sun, and the Room-of-the-Three-Windows. According to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the site was abandoned at the time of the Spanish Conquest and remained unknown to the outside world until Hiram-Bingham introduced it to the international community in 1911. Detailed historical analysis provided by National Geographic suggests that the site also served significant religious and astronomical functions.