The ruins of Machu Picchu were discovered in 1911 by the US archaeologist Hiram Bingham, and are one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world. The Inca people started to build the city in the early 1400s at the top of a mountain at an elevation of 2700m ( 9000ft). Before that Machu Pichu ( "old peak") was probably already a sacred place. Invisible from below and completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population, and watered by natural springs, Machu Picchu seems to have been utilized by the Inca as a secret ceremonial city.
The Spaniards never found Machu Picchu, even though they suspected its existence. The mountain top sanctuary fell into disuse and was abandoned some forty years after the Spanish took Cuzco in 1533. Supply lines linking the many Inca social centers were disrupted and the great empire came to an end.
The train ride from Cusco to Machu Pichu goes through the scenic landscape of the Andean highlands, below more than 6000m ( 20000ft) high ice covered peaks.