Machu Picchu - Inca site in Peru

Machupicchu

Plaza Sagrada y Templo de las 3 Ventanas
Sacred Plaza and Temple of the 3 Windows

Cuzco, Peru

postmarked in 1970 with a Peru 5.50 stamp, Uniting the community and the armed forces

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Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,430 metres (8,000 ft) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu is one of the most familiar symbols of the Inca Empire.

The Incas started building it around AD 1430 but was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was largely unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.

Here is another postcard from Machupicchu (this one is unused)


Vista parcial de la Ciudadela y Huaynapicchu.
View of Citadel and Huaynapicchu in the rear.