Main Page

Welcome to Wikipedia

,

Today's featured picture

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located on a mountain ridge in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru, about 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level. Often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it was built around 1450, likely as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti, and was abandoned roughly a century later. Notable structures include the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, and Intihuatana, a ritual stone. Machu Picchu was designated a historic sanctuary by Peru in 1981, and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. It received more than 1.5 million visitors annually as of 2024, making it Peru's most visited tourist attraction. This photograph of Machu Picchu was taken in 1912 by Hiram Bingham III, the American explorer who rediscovered the citadel, and was published in the April 1913 edition of National Geographic. The image was taken after early clearing work, and shows the agricultural terraces, the central urban complex, and the steep peak of Huayna Picchu rising in the background. Photograph credit: Hiram Bingham III Recently featured: Gypsum Voss Verreaux's sifaka Archive More featured pictures

Other areas of Wikipedia

• Community portal – The central hub for editors, with resources, links, tasks, and announcements.
• Village pump – Forum for discussions about Wikipedia itself, including policies and technical issues.
• Site news – Sources of news about Wikipedia and the broader Wikimedia movement.
• Teahouse – Ask basic questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
• Help desk – Ask questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
• Reference desk – Ask research questions about encyclopedic topics.
• Content portals – A unique way to navigate the encyclopedia.