Hidden away in the rocky countryside Northwest of Cuzco, Machu Picchu, believed to have been a Royal Palace or a sacred place for the Inca rulers, whose civilization was almost completely destroyed by the Spanish invaders in the sixteenth century. For hundreds of years about the existence of the abandoned citadel was not known until the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham accidentally stumbled upon it in 1911. The existence of this place was known only to local villagers living nearby.

After research, scientists have determined that more than 150 buildings of Machu Picchu most of the buildings is temples, shrines and baths. Many modern archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was the residence of the nobility and emperors of the Incas. Other scientists suggest that this was a sacred place, indicating its proximity to mountains and other geographical features that are considered sacred to the Incas. Dozens of alternative hypotheses have been put forward after Machu Picchu was first introduced to the world, for example, that it was a trading centre, a prison, a place for seclusion from female society or the city where they held the coronation of the Incas.

In the summer of 1911 by American archaeologist Hiram Bingham arrived in Peru with a small group of researchers, hoping to find the fortress of the Incas. Bingham and his team, passing through the Urubamba valley near Cuzco on mules and on foot, I heard from a local farmer a story about the ruins, located at the top of a nearby slope. The farmer called the mountain of Machu Picchu, which in Quechua means "old peak". On 24 July, after a steep and difficult ascent to the ridge of the mountain, in the cold drizzly weather, Bingham met a small group of peasants who showed him the rest of the way. Under the guidance of 11-year-old boy, Bingham first saw a complex network of stone terraces in front of the entrance to Machu Picchu.

Happy Bingham wrote a story about his discovery of the "Lost city of the Incas", which became a bestseller. Then hordes of eager tourists began to flock to Peru to follow in his footsteps and find another unknown sacred sites of the Incas. Hiram Bingham brought with him to Yale University of the artifacts found during excavations at Machu Picchu and provided for their further study. Although credited with the discovery of the ruins of Machu Picchu hiriam Bingham, in fact there is evidence that missionaries and other explorers were in these places during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but they are unable to notify the whole world.

The territory of Machu Picchu extends 5 miles, averaging 3000 stone steps that connect the different levels. On the background of a tropical mountain forest on the Eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes are visible the ruins of Machu Picchu: its walls, terraces, stairs and ramps merge together in their natural setting. Finely crafted masonry buildings, terraced fields complex and artificial water facilities for irrigation of the soil indicate architectural, agricultural and engineering achievements of the Inca civilization. The Central buildings are a Prime example of the construction of the complex and tall buildings of cut stone without fastening solution.

Archaeologists have identified several different sectors that make up the city - it is an agricultural zone, residential zone, the Royal and sacred area area. The most famous is the Temple of the Sun, Ritual stone Inti of Vatan and granite stone, which is believed to have functioned as a solar clock or calendar.

In 1983 the ruins of Machu Picchu were listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Named one of the 7 wonders of the world in 2007, Machu Picchu is the most visited attraction in Peru and the most famous ruins in South America, drawing on his territory hundreds of thousands of people a year. The increase of tourism, the development of surrounding cities and the environmental degradation continues to have a detrimental effect on the nearby Machu Picchu site, which are also home to several endangered species of fauna and flora. Accordingly, in recent years, the government of Peru has taken measures to protect the ruins and prevent erosion of the mountain.