MACCHU PICCHU

Discovery of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu (Quechua: Old Mountain ; sometimes called the "Lost City of the Incas") is a well-preserved pre-Columbian Inca ruin located on a high mountain ridge, at an elevation of about 2,350 m (7,710 ft). Machu Picchu is located above the Urubamba Valley in Peru , about 70 km (44 mi) northwest of Cusco . Geographic coordinates: 13°09'47?S, 72°32'44?W. Forgotten for centuries by the outside world, although not by locals, it was brought back to international attention by American historian Hiram Bingham who rediscovered it in 1911, and wrote a best-selling work about it. Peru is pursuing legal efforts to get back thousands of artifacts that Bingham removed from the site.