Machupicchu Peru

Machupicchu is a city located high in the Anden Mountains in Peru. It lies 43 miles northwest of Cuzco at the top of a ridge, hiding it from the Urubamba gorge below. The ridge is between the highlands and the massive Huayna Picchu, around which the Urubamba River takes a sharp bend. The surrounding area is covered in dense bush, some of it covering Pre-Colombian Machupicchu cultivation (which means "Old Peak") was most likely a royal estate and religious retreat. It was built between 1460 and 1470 AD by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, an inca ruler. The city has an altitude of 8,000 feet, and is high above the Urubamba River canyon cloud forest, so it is likely that it did not have any administrative, military or commercial use. After Pachacuti’s death, Machupicchu became the property of his allus, or kinship group, which was responsible for it’s maintenance, administration, and any new construction.