Machu Picchu, the royal retreat of the Incan emperor Pachacuti, sits atop the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Meaning "Old Mountain" in the Quechua Indian language, the complex was constructed in the ...

Inca mastery of landscape and environment is epitomised at Machu Picchu, their most famous ruin. Many archaeologists believe Machu Picchu was a summer retreat for the emperor and his family.