Machu Picchu, also spelled Machupijchu, site of ancient Inca ruins located about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Cuzco, Peru, in the Cordillera de Vilcabamba of the Andes Mountains. It is perched above the Urubamba River valley in a narrow saddle between two sharp peaks Machu Picchu (“Old Peak”) and Huayna Picchu (“New Peak”) at an elevation of 7,710 feet (2,350 metres). One of the few major pre-Columbian ruins found nearly intact, Machu Picchu was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. Although the site escaped detection by the Spaniards, it may have been visited by the German adventurer Augusto Berns
Recent News: Peruvian authorities closed Machu Picchu amidst ongoing demonstrations against Peru s new president, Dina Boluarte. Rail tracks serving the site were damaged, and tourists had been stranded, though authorities said they were successfully evacuated.