Machu Picchu

Huayna Picchu, the granite peak overlooking the ruins of Machu Picchu, Peru. Halfway up the north face of this peak is a cave containing the Temple of the Moon. The terraced slopes of the city are set on a saddle of a forested mountain high above a river valley. The ruins were not discovered by the Spanish, and only came to light when Hiram Bingham happened upon them in 1911.

Inca stonework at the ruined city of Machu Picchu, Peru. Walls constructed by the Incas have a perfect line of inclination towards the centre from bottom to top, and the edges and corners of each stone are rounded. The huge stones fit together exactly even though the stone-masonry was a long and laborious process of pounding with tools made of harder stone.

The ruined Inca city of Machu Picchu, northwest of Cuzco in Peru.

Remains of the Inca city of Machu Picchu, set on terraces high above the Urubamba river in southern Peru. The prominent peak of Huayna Picchu dominates the city's towers, temples, and stepped streets (the Incas had not invented the wheel). Since Spanish conquerors never found the city, it was not destroyed like many other contemporary sites. After centuries lost in the jungle, Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham.

Ruined Inca city in the Peruvian Andes, northwest of Cuzco. This settlement and stronghold stands at the top of 300-m/1,000-ft-high cliffs above the Urabamba River and covers an area of 13 sq km/5 sq mi. Built in about AD 1500, the city's remote location saved it from being found and destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors, and the remains of its houses and temples are well preserved. Machu Picchu was discovered in 1911 by the US archaeologist Hiram L Bingham.